


Unattainable

by Masdevallia



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: 3rd person pov at times, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Feelings, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Getting to Know Each Other, Jumin Route Spoilers, Jumin being a gap moe, Jumin is very depressed, Male-Female Friendship, Mc has a life and a personality, Mutual Pining, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Second Person, Rating May Change, Romance, Slow Burn, Things are...different, This will have spoilers for Jumin's route...and others, am I going to hell for this one
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-27
Updated: 2018-03-27
Packaged: 2018-08-27 06:41:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 35
Words: 112,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8391211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Masdevallia/pseuds/Masdevallia
Summary: You shouldn't have felt so attracted to him and yet here you were wanting someone who was already taken, but since when has a guy like that totally given you the time of day? Mystic Messenger Jumin route AU with canon divergence.





	1. Prologue: Day 4, 11:30 PM

**Author's Note:**

> So it looks like no one has done this type of AU yet and after having a really odd Mystic Messenger dream while napping (and believe me, I've had an odd share of them, one time I dreamed I logged onto the chat and found Jumin and Seven RP-ing as Elizabeth 3rd and Robo Cat respectively) I brought the idea up to a friend and they were like, "omg write this!" Please note this is gonna be quite different than other reads, probably and my goal is to have an MC with a full-fledged personality. So uh...Point is I have plans for this one. BIG PLANS. The more I plan, the more of a wild ride it's gonna be.

You stared straight at the computer screen, your gaze blank and disbelieving from what you just saw happen as a string of almost indecipherable characters were displayed. Then something legible was typed, causing your body to go slack.

 

Unknown: **I am**

Unknown: **Going to**

Unknown: **Corrupt you**

 

No. The chat was always a safe place. Even though you had first entered under rather sketchy circumstances that even you yourself couldn't quite explain, the members of the RFA made you feel welcome. Hell, even accepted in a way that you never quite felt before even when you were in school.

You sat in Rika’s leather black swiveling office chair, hugging your kneecaps as you continued to stare at the chat. You couldn't move an inch of your body, as if it were frozen even though you felt your own body temperature going sweltering hot, sweat dripping down your back as you were paralyzed in fear.

 

Unknown: **I am**

Unknown: **Going to**

Unknown: **Corrupt you**

 

The words were still etched on the screen while a flurry of thoughts entered and left your brain, haphazardly going through the reactions. The worst part was that there was no indication that this person had ever logged on...or off.

 _Can the others see this? Will they see this? Is this the same person who led me to this place? Am I going mad?_ Then a final thought came running through, the most important one of all.

 _Can they_ see _me?_

That was the thought that caused whatever kept you frozen in place to shatter. Your body snapped forward from the chair, your bare feet touching the ground and shutting the screen off, bending down a moment afterwards to turn off the motherboard. You turned the lights off in Rika’s apartment. All of them. Her bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen lights were all off within seconds.

You grabbed a knife from the kitchen and ran like a madwoman throughout the apartment, opening every closet and confined area, checking the ceiling, the latches on the windows, your eyes had adjusted to the darkness of the apartment. You were ready for a fight.

But nothing happened despite your stalking and after about fifteen minutes you dropped down to Rika’s bed, your back against the wall with pillows nestled in between.

You needed to get in touch with someone but who? Yoosung and Zen wouldn't be much help, except emotionally. Neither of them knew where you were anyway.

Jaehee was likely in the office swamped with work. You liked her and admired her work ethic, but she wasn't going to be much use underneath all that work.

Seven just said he had to get back to work. But it wouldn't hurt to call him. Your hands shaking, you grabbed your phone and dialed his number.

Voicemail.

You texted him.

**SOS. Check our recent chat pls. Feel unsafe.**

It was all in his hands. He said he and Miss Vanderwood has access to the apartment parameters all around the outside through CCTV. You knew he also could see the outside hallway just outside Rika’s door for intruders.

You checked the time.

It was just before midnight.

You had one other person you could call.

Would he be busy?

You bent down, checking under the bed for monsters like a small child. Growing up, you were never the type of child to be so afraid of nonsense such as monsters under the bed but maybe all those horror movies had a point.

Nothing there. You grabbed the wire that was hooked to the wall and plugged your phone in. There was no way you'd be caught off guard if there was an intruder anyway, even though your phone was about sixty percent charged already.

You sighed, not sure if it was in relief or exasperation and stared at the business card photographed to the app.

It was worth a try.


	2. Chapter 1: Day 5, 12:00 AM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In order to calm herself down, our heroine makes a phone call. But does it really help her?

The phone rang as your mind raced for the second time that night. It wasn't like it was wrong to call him. He had your best interest at hand like the rest of the RFA. But why did it feel like there were invisible lines that couldn't be crossed? That you had to be absolutely careful and guarded around him the most? That things always felt different than with Yoosung or Zen? You didn't know what it was but it was definitely something different.

You shifted in Rika’s bed, your shirt clinging against your back, completely moist. Once this would be taken care of you would change out of this shirt.

 _Click._ “It's you,” he said, his voice deep and so self-assured. He was older than you, but not by much and yet he acted like he was much older. It both intrigued and intimidated you.

“Um…” You could never be as composed around him verbally. You were one way in the chats with him but talking to him was another matter.

“Your voice is shaking. Is everything alright?” You had to give him credit. Even with monosyllables, nothing could ever escape Jumin Han.

You shook your head, then remembered that there was no way he could even see you like this.

“No,” you said, your throat dry. You wanted to go to the kitchen and pour yourself a glass of water but at the same time, there was too much at stake.

“What happened, tell me.”

“The chat. Someone…” you swallowed, “hacked in.”

“What?” he said, his voice going slack. You half expected for him to ask you if you were certain but the question never came. Maybe it meant Jumin trusted you unconditionally as well. “Give me a moment,” he said and for a second, you couldn't register if that was directed at you or at someone else. “My apologies. I'm at a dinner.”

“I'm...sorry,” you said, trying to find your composure. “I'm know you're a busy man but I didn't know who else to…”

He interrupted you, “No. Don't be sorry. You have every reason to be concerned. You're alone in that apartment and none of us save for Luciel know where you are.”

You heard a clatter on the other side of the line.

“I've seen the chat and took a screenshot. Luciel will see this shortly and contact you soon. Would you like for me to stay with you until then?”

He was at a dinner. You shouldn't be taking his time away like this. You were meaningless to him at the end of the day. Just some random girl who stumbled onto this app that led to such a weird and surreal chain of events. But you needed someone, even if there was something about him that brought your nerves front and center.

“Please,” you said. “I mean, no. You're at a dinner. I shouldn't be taking your precious time away, Jumin.”

You heard him scoff, reminding you of the surly teens you'd see on TV shows. “It's nothing if it calms you down. Besides, it's just Father and Glam.”

“What about Sarah?” you asked.

“Let's not talk about her tonight. Sarah is not the object of concern,” he said, his voice stern and aloof. You could tell it was a matter he _really_ didn't want to discuss. 

“Are you sure?” It seemed as though she was.

“I should be the one asking questions, not the other way around,” he said. “Besides, Father and Glam are preoccupied at the moment. We would both be doing each other a favor.” There was a hint of playfulness in his voice. His cavalier tone had made you feel only slightly better.

You got up from the bed, feeling a tad bolder and walked to the kitchen slowly, with the knife in one hand and the other holding your phone against your ear.

“Did you check the apartment?” he asked.

“I checked Rika’s apartment. No one's here.”

“Good.”

“I closed the windows and shut the latches. Checked the air vents and the ceiling and every confined space,” you informed him while pouring a glass.

“If I remember properly, and I know I am, you said there was a passcode to get in? The hacker might know how to get in.”

“You're right!” Your eyes widened and you grabbed a chair in Rika’s dining room, its legs making a screech while you propped it against the handle, making sure it was set in place so that whoever was entering on the other side would have a couple of moments of distraction while you made your mad dash out. “I placed a chair right in front of the door. It won't completely block them but it'll divert them.”

“You have an exit plan in mind?”

“Yes. Don't worry about that, I'm always trying to stay one step ahead of the curve.”

“You'd make a great assistant, but unfortunately I'm not looking to hire one.”

“My ambitions aren't to be an assistant, Jumin.”

“Oh?” There was a level of intrigue in his voice, something that you didn't think he was even capable of. You felt a sense of pride in managing to call forward Jumin's full attention, even if you didn't mean to steer the conversation in that way.

You never went into further detail about your ambitions. Other than your screen name and profile pic of a selfie you took just before logging in the first time, they knew next to nothing about you.

He noticed you didn't say anything further. “What would your ambitions be?”

“That's for another time,” you said, expertly dodging the question. Jumin didn't need to know the truth. That you were drifting in this moment just like every other person your age. Not everyone was a trust fund kid the way Jumin was, with their present and future being carved in stone. You felt like if you told him the truth, he'd lose whatever respect he had for you and that was the very last thing you wanted. You wanted him to like you at all costs to the point of it being irrational. It was something you couldn't quite explain or understand but you knew by this point that you had felt that before.

“I see. How about we switch the topic of conversation, shall we?” he said.

“How's Elizabeth the 3rd?” you asked, thinking of the beautiful cat he wouldn't stop talking about. If you had a cat that looked like that, then neither would you.

“She's at home, likely sitting on the penthouse of her palace waiting for my limousine to come home from below.” Of course Elizabeth the 3rd had her own mini-mansion. You figured she had a room that was bigger than your own apartment. “She must be lonely.”

“She's not with Jaehee?”

“No. I do not leave her with Assistant Kang when I'm away for a few hours. Only for business trips when Luciel is more likely to breach security, not that Luciel would be an object of concern at the present.”

You managed to laugh at his words, even though the situation was laced with a dark cloud hovering over you with lightning about to strike right at you at any given moment. You remembered how Jumin exposed Seven as a form of retaliation when you first logged on. The way he was playing with Elizabeth the 3rd’s ears in the photo...Even though you couldn't see her face, her body language was easy to decipher. You had spent plenty of time with cats to know that the way her tail was rising up wasn't exactly showing that she was accepting of Seven's love. She didn't think he was aware of his rough forms of affection but when it got to the point where even Jaehee felt the need to call him out, it was a problem.

“You're laughing,” he said.

“I can't help it.”

“It's a pleasant sound. Your laugh.” You froze again for the second time that night, standing in the quiet stillness of the kitchen.

“Um...thanks?” you said.

“It's a sincere laugh. When you live the life I live, you can't help but feel appreciation for these fleeting moments of sincerity.”

“Oh.” You didn't know how to respond to that. “It's just that...it's pretty intuitive how to love and care for a cat. I don't know if you see it that way. Seven clearly doesn't,” you laughed mid sentence and he joined in, his own laugh pleasant to you as well but you didn't dare compliment him. You know you couldn't. He was untouchable.

“You sound like someone I would trust Elizabeth the 3rd with,” he said once the two of you recollected yourselves. You took several gulps of water. Your throat still felt parched, although you knew it wasn't because of fear. Jumin Han was doing too good of a job in easing your worries. 

“I would love to care for her. I promise I won't violate her trust, and by extension, yours.” You almost wanted to ask him again about Sarah and her relationship to Elizabeth the 3rd, but he expressed such a negative reaction that you shove the question away.

“It is unfortunate I do not have knowledge of your location and I'm assuming it's too late to contact V on the matter.”

You made a sound of agreement. “Elizabeth the 3rd would make a very good companion for me right now.” You placed the empty cup in the sink and went back to bed. “She sounds like a great asset to have during stressful times. I can see why she's with you.” You winced and closed your eyes, realizing your words had a weight to them. You desperately hope he didn't take offense to your words.

“She was a gift from V for this precise reason. I don't know where I would be without her.” His words chilled you to the bone, making you realize that there was a more tragic element to Jumin Han under that supposed perfect life of his.

The confident corporate director and trust fund kid who was an expert at roasting others in the chat and making you laugh in ways you didn't think were possible was quite likely a lot more depressed than he let on. You also got that vibe from Seven but Jumin expressed it in a very different way than Seven did.

You never thought there might be something deeply wrong underneath the surface, he usually left the chat or switched the conversation whenever things got heavy. But neither of you would leave this conversation anytime soon. At least until Seven indicated he got their messages.

“I can see how she's your world,” you said.

“Her love is unconditional. She doesn't understand just how profound her impact is but I try to show it in turn. Have you felt that way?”

You nodded, again forgetting that he could not see you. “In a sense, yes. When you're trying to go against the current of life, you can't help but feel that need. I'm glad you have Elizabeth the 3rd for that.”

“I meant if you had a companion.”

“No.” You didn't know if you wanted to tell him the truth about why you couldn't have pets growing up. Jumin wasn't the type of person to fully understand others. Despite his kindness and understanding, he was probably the least receptive to others when it came to matters he personally couldn't sympathize with. “It just never happened,” you told him. It was close enough to the truth.

The two of you were silent. It was definitely not an awkward kind of silence. In fact, calling him was probably the best decision you could have made.

“Nothing yet?” you asked him, checking your phone for any new notifications. Only one from Frank yet again. You thought it was ridiculous that these guests had to practically quiz you on whatever obscure thing that tickled their fancy. You wondered if Rika had to once put up with this and how she even managed to achieve hundreds of guests. And with the recent revelation that you had seven days to plan and get the guests together, there was no way you'd live up to Rika’s mantle.

“No. How odd of him,” Jumin said. “But it means that I get to stay a while longer with you.” You felt your cheeks go hot. He wasn't flirting with you. Flirting was what Zen did and on occasion, Seven and Yoosung. Jumin was anything but a flirt.

“That bad?”

“If only I could hide away from them.”

“You don't like dinner parties, I take it?”

“No. I was unable to have Assistant Kang reschedule. What Father wants, Father gets.” You felt that to be all too true. “I'd rather be at home, reading or spending time with Elizabeth the 3rd and enjoying a good glass of wine.” You were a fellow introvert as well, making you sympathize with his plight. Except when you stumbled upon the app, Seven made it clear that you leave only at certain times whenever he deemed it safe, even to go to the nearby convenience store. You were suffering from mild cabin fever. That was the one upside to having the party in a week. You were already counting down the days.

“Sounds relaxing,” you said, making you way back to Rika’s bed and snuggling under the covers. The covers were cold.

“Speaking of relaxed, you sound a lot more relaxed than when I first picked up the phone.”

“I'm still on high alert but talking to you has helped. Thank you, Jumin. Again, you didn't have to do this.”

Another pause. You quickly checked up on the call time. It had been over twenty minutes and well past midnight.

“I'm just worried that your father might be offended. You know, leaving a dinner party to talk to another girl.”

“I'll handle my father. He knows how important the RFA and its members are. Besides, we haven't even gotten to the part I wanted to discuss with you about.”

“What?”

“Cat wine.”

You giggled once again, hating yourself for sounding like some kind of schoolgirl laughing at everything a boy she liked said. Not that Jumin was one of those boys you liked. Nope. Not at all.

“Yes, the cat wine.”

“The matter in which the Artist known as Zen explicitly could not handle but I'm sure the democracy of our chat has made him concede.”

“Oh my god, Zen. Ignore him.” You liked Zen a lot, but his cat bias was too dramatic of a grudge. You thought it was honestly just Zen trying to spite Jumin. There was definitely something else that brought in Zen's irrational dislike of Jumin and you thought Elizabeth the 3rd was too innocent for this petty squabbling.

“The chat was...fun, nevertheless.”

“Jumin Han having fun.”

“You say that as if that's not my life.”

“I don't get that vibe, if I'm being honest.” You felt the need to be honest about this, since this conversation kept veering towards uncharted territory between the two of you. It was a long time since you had a long, sincere, involved conversation, though you wished the circumstances were different.

“You'd be correct. The RFA is where I find my diversions. But lately there's been a spark of life there and I have no doubt it has to do with you.”

“Me?” you asked.

“Of course. You say that with humility but it's true. I will talk to Luciel about the possibility of sending bodyguards over to Rika’s apartment. They wouldn't be in the apartment but outside.”

“Sounds good.”

There was a lull in the conversation and you checked the time. It was past twelve thirty. What was Seven doing? Did he doze off? Did Vanderwood spill PhD Pepper on Seven's computer (or computers if he had more than one since you thought was likely), causing his motherboard to explode?

You pictured Seven and a maid that looked like his twin shrieking and freaking out over computers set on fire. You always had an overactive imagination.

“You seem like you're lost in thought,” Jumin said, practically reading your mind.

“I'm wondering why Seven hasn't responded yet. Maybe his maid spilled his favorite drink all over the computer.”

“Ergonomics,” Jumin said simply.

“Huh?”

“Impossible. His computers are built to last. C&R supplied him with top-of-the-line computers built for basic spills and other damages. Luciel has always had a habit of spilling his drink on his computer, especially when he was in the university.”

“He went to a university?” You didn't know anything about Seven. This was a revelation.

“According to V, yes. Did you?”

“I did…” you said. You knew it was a foregone conclusion that Jumin had gone to a university. There was no way he'd have a position like that without a degree of some sort, even with the sheer amount of nepotism probably involved. Maybe.

“You know, you were also lost in thought as well.”

“Indeed. I was wondering whether cats would prefer imported cheeses from Switzerland or if I ought to have it locally processed and overseen here.”

You knew of a certain food company but you wanted to keep your mouth shut.

“Imported sounds good but more expensive. It would probably depend on your company's expenses, I guess. But business isn't my forte.”

“And yet you have such a creative mind.”

You wondered if Jumin had too much wine over the course of the last few hours since the last chat. He was too heavy on the compliments.

“I think you're trying to recruit me for your company?” you said, feeling the covers grow hot. You remember how Jumin was well-known for persuading women to sign contracts for him and then changing from day to night once he got what was needed. It brought you back from whatever stupor you were in. You were being silly. He was just magnetic like that, nothing more. And you were a catalyst to relieve him of his boredom. That's all it was.

“Not particularly. Assistant Kang has her work cut out for her. I would try to make space if you were interested.”

You didn't know how to respond to that question. Truth is, you weren't.

“It looks like Luciel has finally responded. He wants you to log onto the chat.”

“It was really great talking to you.”

“I said this once before when we first spoke but time goes by fast when we speak.”

It was already twelve forty-eight. You two had spoken over the course of an hour.

“It was fun. We may have to keep our correspondence.”

“Of course,” you said, turning to your side on Rika’s bed, unsure if he really meant it or not. It wasn't like he was serious about this. Maybe.

“Bye,” he said. You responded in turn and hung up, logging into the chat on mobile this time where Seven awaited.

 

 **707: I’m so sorry. I should have picked up on the first call. I don’t know what happened. You have every right to not forgive me for being useless. It won’t happen again. But I am glad to report that Mary Vanderwood and I have analyzed that** you are safe **.**

 

You stared into the screen. This was a very different Seven than the one you were used to in the chatroom. This was indeed an odd night. First Jumin, now Seven.

 

**You: It’s okay, Seven, I forgive you. Is everyone else okay?**

**707: Everyone’s fine for now. I checked in with Zen, Jaehee, and Yoosung, though Yoosung was not happy that he lost his kill. Too bad. If we’re cautious, we won’t have any more problems.**

 

You huffed at Seven’s jab at Yoosung, rolling your eyes while you waited for him to continue.

 

**707: I was really shocked, although not as much as you are right now. When you first joined the RFA, I changed the whole algorithm. I haven’t been able to figure out how the hacker managed to come in. I can’t believe that they broke my firewall.**

**You: It hasn’t been long since that Unknown person brought me here...That’s a bit strange.**

**707: I think so too. Unknown...It might not be someone Rika sent...like V said. How did it manage to hack again in such a short time…? I’m even assuming the worst. That you or all of us are being used by this hacker.**

 

You paused. You figured you were being used but you didn’t understand why. Your gut instinct was telling you that the members of the RFA you consistently interacted with were good people, but there was something off. Something didn’t settle in right with V or the way Rika died. And yet it felt as though things did add up. You remembered the way your allergies flared up the moment you entered this apartment and how dusty everything was and how it felt as though no one had stepped in for years. You spent a couple of hours that first day cleaning, though Rika was a neat and organized person, much unlike you. That reminded you that maybe if Seven gave you clearance, you would go back to the convenience store and pick up more supplies because your messes were starting to pile up. This wasn’t your apartment and you had to treat it like a guest. _If only I was consistently like this with my own stuff._

You looked back into the chat. Your plan was to stay here and clean again. You needed to know Seven’s plan.

 

 **707: Well, I’ll obviously try to chase the hacker** **but I’m going to to talk to V first. But he might already be on the plane. I’ll look into this problem, but for the time being please be cautious. I hope this doesn’t scare you any further..but if the hacker got into the chatroom, _each of the member’s safety might be compromised…_**

 

You looked into the severity of his words. This was serious. He wasn’t done yet, because he had bolded and increased the font on the next part.

 

**707: If anything feel suspicious at all, please tell me as soon as you can. This goes for the rest of you. Everyone has to check the locks on their doors and try to avoid going outside by themselves...although everyone lives alone including you.**

 

You brought up the issue that you and Jumin spoke about, the conversation between the two of you simultaneously both fresh in your head. What transpired between you was now feeling like ages ago despite it having been ten minutes since you two hung up.

 

**707: I think everyone should ask Jumin for a security guard. I can’t look after everyone except you on account of your location and V's instructions. Mary Vanderwood and I will look over you 24/7 through the CCTV cameras**

**You: Thank you, Seven. I know you’re busy with the hacker and your own work but I appreciate that you’re looking after me.**

**707: ^_^ I’m the one who should be sorry again for putting you through this and not responding earlier to the crisis. You’re risking your safety to be here with us. And as I said, if anything feels suspicious, tell me right away! You have to, okay? Then now, I’m go off and find those bastard hackers who messed with our chatroom!**

**You: Good luck, Seven! I know you can do it!**

**707: thx thx. I won’t fail you again! If you’re cheering for me. I know I can get them. Please go to sleep knowing that you will be safe in our hands. Then I’ll be off!**

 

You logged out, agreeing to the terms that this conversation will be archived, then logged back in to reread and analyze the conversation for what it was and how you were going to move forward..

Seven was fiercely apologetic for not taking immediate notice and assured you were all right. He and Vanderwood had checked up on your surroundings and would continue to do so even while you slept. You were safe.

Seven had implored you to relax and to go to sleep. There was nothing else you could do but go along with it. Yet you couldn't help but replay the conversation you had with Jumin, your eyes glued to Rika's popcorn ceiling. You closed your eyes and let your mind drift.

Jumin was an entertaining, yet awkward conversationalist, which came across as something of a surprise. Maybe he was one way with company matters but socially, he was anything but. It was pretty endearing.

 _No, what am I thinking! This is ridiculous._ You saw his photos and paid special attention to the tabloids now that you knew him. A week ago you barely cared about the matters of the rich and famous but now that you knew Jumin somewhat personally, you felt affected by it.

He was a handsome man and it wasn't often when you held up a certain amount of time or even your own around good looking men. If this wasn't a blatant fundraising app, you would have thought this was some kind of matchmaking app because all of RFA members were so good-looking and attractive in their own ways.

And yet Jumin stood out to you. He was intelligent, funny, and had a certain way about him, especially with how alive he felt to you when talking about Elizabeth the 3rd and his cat projects. It was intoxicating to hear him talk about these things and you were already starting to anticipate your next conversation with him.

You realized it was because you were attracted to him.

Your mind began to go from zero to sixty, having conversations with itself over why it was stupid to mull over a simple one hour conversation.

 _No. It's precisely because he's what you can't have. He's unattainable, you dolt. You're like a baby whose favorite toy was taken away from them and given to someone else,_ the rational side of your mind said.

 _Yeah, but look at him. He's the whole package,_  the rebellious side of your mind countered. _Since when has a guy like that given you the time of day?_

_Why are you like this?_

_Because you're attracted to him._

_Okay so, he's unattainable. We went through this already. He ditched his dad and his stepmom to talk to you. For. An. Hour._

_Stop it!_ You turned your phone on to find Jaehee and Zen having logged onto the chat.

Maybe they would take your mind off of the fact that a married man was flirting with you and that you were into it as well. Maybe they could save you from something worse than the hacker: yourself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know your thoughts. A lot of my writing here is experimental and I'd like to know what you think. Thank you so much for reading!


	3. Chapter 2: Day 5, 8:00 AM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our heroine faces some difficulties both internal and external whIle our hero has trouble accepting the concept of kindness.

A buzzing in your hand woke you up. Confused thoughts came in a flurry as you shook your hand, thinking it was asleep. But it wasn't and the buzzing continued.

When you opened your eyes and looked down, it was your phone vibrating and moving against your hand. You had fallen asleep with your phone attached to you.

You saw the number and sighed.

It was your manager.

For days you had lied about being sick and although you weren't scheduled to work yesterday because of it, you knew the phone call was inevitable.

“Hello?” you said, your voice tired. You were in fact too tired to do your usual overthinking. Honestly, you were prepared to handle this call whichever way it went.

“Today is a sale day,” your manager said, her voice stern. “I need all of my workers on the floor today. You've been out sick for the past four days.”

She was straight to the point. No “How are you feeling” or anything of the sort. Maybe she knew you were faking.

“Or are you gonna be sick today as well?” _Oh yeah, she knows I've been faking,_ the rebel side of your mind said.

Immediately, the rational side countered, _try to be honest? Though it may be difficult to explain that you stumbled upon an app where you get to talk to pretty boys and one very pretty lady and your life is in constant danger because of it._

“I'm not sick anymore,” you said.

“Good. I'll expect you around noon.”

“I can't go. I'm currently dealing with an emergency situation right now.” There was a pause on the phone.

“Is it a death in the family or a family related emergency?”

“No.” _Why can't you ever learn how to lie?_ You hated lying no matter the circumstance. You already felt wildly guilty for lying about being sick.

“If you don't show up to work by noon today on time, I will assume you have quit. There is an expectation I have with my employees and if you can't meet that expectation, then don't bother showing.”

You were going to counter with how it was just a retail clothing store, but the line disconnected.

You dropped your phone, it falling against the messy covers of the bed. You were pretty much fired again from yet another job. And it wasn't like this was exactly the classiest type of job to be fired from, but it only proved just how disposable you were.

You worked at a retail store aimed for older women, mostly career women. Maybe you had seen Jaehee there once or twice before you knew what the RFA was. It wasn't exactly a satisfying job. You were required to talk to people for the entire duration and mostly  with unreasonable women who would blame you for even the most inconsequential things, such as their clothes not fitting or there not being an item available in their size. You would stay walking on hours without end wearing ill-fitting five inch heels you got at a discount from the store. And sure, it wasn't like it was trendy but you took what you could get to make a living before you found something stable that would fit you.

Except now you weren't anywhere near stable at all.

Maybe it was back to the drawing board.

Of course, this meant that you'd have to carefully watch your funds before they were completely depleted. Maybe you could ask for a donation by the time the party came and went. That could help you, right?

You figured you'd have to ask Jaehee or Seven about that.

Worst of all, it meant you couldn't just spend your money idly on candy and chips and other unnecessary expenses for the next week. And you'd have to get creative with cleaning supplies.

You didn't want to think about the real world and your problems any longer. You logged into the app and found Yoosung online and available. He was cute, but kind of too young for you and you felt he harbored a hopeless crush on you.

 

 **Yoosung☆:** **WHAT! A HACKER! A HACKER**

 

He posted a lot of emojis in a short time span. You found him quite emotional and you related to him a lot in those regards but Yoosung often took things to another level.

You saw Jumin's name pop up on the top of the chat, causing your breath to hitch. In that very same moment, he typed an ellipsis.

 

**You: Slept well, Jumin?**

**Jumin Han: I woke up early because of Assistant Kang’s call. I'm still quite sleepy. Did you sleep well?**

 

You wanted to tell him how he was one of the reasons you had trouble falling asleep. The way you replayed the conversation you had over and over again and how oddly intimate it felt.

But then you reread what he just typed. He didn't mention anything about the phone call. And there was the fact that Yoosung was present as well.

**You: Yes, I slept alright. Though I can't lie to you and say that I wasn't worried.**

It was as sincere as you could get. You did get _some_ sleep. And maybe after this chat you could go back to sleep again.

Yoosung proved to have no chill in him as he typed about a failed dish he tried to make, showing a picture of a dish you couldn't quite recognize, probably because it actually was such a mess.

Jumin continued to indicate no mention of last night until he finally brought up the issue of security guards.

He was unfailingly kind, despite not wanting to interpret his actions as that. Maybe he was so used to be called a cold, callous businessman that he actually believed himself as such.

The tabloids made that reputation all too apparent, especially with the string of girls who he wronged through business contracts. Most of them said he was gay, which apparently became a meme in several Internet circles when a mock article called _The Rumor Come Out:_ _Does Jumin Han is Gay?_ took the Internet by storm, but you remembered that happened during the Christmas season and you were barely at home during that time.

When you did your research on him a few days ago, you saw that by his getting married to Sarah, an equally powerful businesswoman, at least, according to the way the tabloids made her to be, seemed to have softened his cold image towards women, but they mostly gave Sarah a positive spin.

From what you read through sound bites, Sarah said they were happy and that his profit had reached areas they'd never seen before.

Yoosung snapped you out of your reverie.

 

**Yoosung☆: I feel nervous about using this messenger. You don't think anyone else is watching this conversation do you?**

 

Yoosung had to be given some credit here. He spotted something you failed to notice last night. It never once said “Unknown has logged in”, they just posted the moment after Seven logged out. Or did you notice? You were too lost in your own thoughts to remember those terrifying moments.

 

**Jumin Han: Don't ask me, I don't know anything about hacking. But we can't rule out that possibility.**

**You: You're absolutely right, Jumin. We have to look at all sides here.**

 

Yoosung expressed even more anxiety and Jumin tried to comfort him...albeit with hilarious results. You forgot for a moment that you were about to be jobless come the afternoon and that you had a tiny crush on a married man.

 

**Jumin Han: I heard that posting on social media helps in such cases. You don’t write the whole story or the specific situation, and instead write: AAAARRRGHHH I’M A WRECK!!! PLZ COME AND SAVE ME PRINCE CHARMING!**

 

You snorted in laughter at how Jumin was being. He definitely wasn’t as masterful as Seven, who knew all about coming up with bizarre situations to lead Yoosung astray or possibly away from stress, but Jumin definitely had his way about him by comparison. You tried to picture Jumin standing helplessly against his balcony, for some unknown, yet dramatic reason screaming that at the top of his lungs. Prince Charming came in the form of Elizabeth the 3rd and she would save the day. Of course she would. Elizabeth the 3rd seemed like an amazing kitty who could do anything.

You shook your head, wondering if the lack of food in your stomach caused such an odd scenario to pop into your head.

 

**Yoosung☆: OMG**

**Jumin Han: ...or something similar to that.**

**You: Where in the world did you you get that line;;**

 

You just had to know. Maybe Jumin watched too many Korean soap operas. Jaehee was a career woman who thrived mindlessly with DVDs of Zen’s filmography, you could easily see Jumin doing something of a similar effect. He quickly replied, using the text box with a crown. You noticed Jumin used emojis the least but liked to express himself in other, more subtle ways such as changing the text box.

 

**Jumin Han: I read an article about it. It said social media helps people express anxiety.**

 

His response was cuter than you imagined.

 

**Yoosung☆: ...Jumin;; You’re just trying to be helpful, right?**

**Jumin Han: Yes**

 

He did it again with the crown textbox.

 

**Yoosung☆: Thank you.**

**Jumin Han: No need.**

 

And yet again with the cat shaped box. He really was subtle.

 

**You: See~He’s actually pretty kind!**

**Yoosung☆: Kind...in a strange way I think;;;**

**Jumin Han: I’d be glad if my advice helps your mental well-being.** Healthy mind **holds a a healthy body.**

 

His typo was cute. You shook your head as Seven’s words about Jumin being a gap moe came to mind. He certainly was that when he wasn’t trying. Or was he?

Yoosung then began to say his goodbyes, citing school as the reason he had to leave. It put the two of you alone together since last night. Would there be any allusion to your chat?

 

**Jumin Han: ...I hope nothing dangerous happens to you**

**You: Jumin, thank you again for being there last night. It really helped. I know you don’t understand just how kind you actually are it but I’m going to say it again until you understand that I think you're...**

 

You deleted your thoughts. Instead putting up a bland, “Thanks for your concerns ^^”.

 

 **Jumin Han: Be careful not to get involved with any danger.** **If anything happens...call me again** **. Just be careful. I must leave for work.**

**You: All right...Good luck today. I’ll be cheering for you.**

**Jumin Han: Thank you. Hope you have a good day as well. I’ll come back soon. Then good bye.**

 

He logged off, leaving you feeling empty. You shook off the feeling. It was nice having a crush on someone again but these days you had bigger matters to attend to.

You hovered around Seven's card with the skull that vaguely reminded you of a video game character and pressed dial.

Except you intercepted a call made from Yoosung.

“Hello, it's me, Yoosung! Are you okay to talk?”

“Yeah, I can talk.”

“I'm sorry I got emotional in the chat again. I'm just so worried about all of us, especially you!”

You didn't want to tell him that you yourself felt terrified in being alone and that your immediate future was at stake, that there was an extra layer of anxiety with the hacker. And Yoosung didn't need to know just how screwed you actually were with being fired from your job. He was still in college and one of the most idealistic people you had ever met. He put the college version of you to shame.

Of course, he attended SKY University, a school with much more prestige than the one you went to, though the one you attended wasn't terrible either, just not as elite.

“Don't worry about me, Yoosung! Seven and Miss Vanderwood are here to help! Well, they're not here, but they've got access to the CCTV cameras here.”

“Seven's a good guy, you know. I know once he says he'll do something, he'll do it right and in style!”

You giggled at how cute he sounded.

“But you're at Rika’s apartment. I wish I knew where it was but I know you'll be safe. I just want to be like my character in LOLOL and save everyone.”

“It's okay, Yoosung, sweetie. We can't all be like our avatars.” You loved to play video games but you weren't an avid PC player the way Yoosung was. “Just focus on school.” You thought maybe Yoosung could have a chance if he set those games aside and studied. Maybe he wouldn't end up like you did or like Jaehee, both opposites but equally miserable.

“That reminds me! Did you eat?”

You had just woken up half an hour ago. Your stomach was completely empty and rumbling. “Um...not really.”

“I wish I could have cooked for you. I know Jumin said you have to have the perfect ingredients but the perfect ingredients don't matter if you're starving, but I had the time to cook. Sometimes I run out of my dorm with my toast in my mouth.”

The idea of cute little Yoosung hastily running around of his dorm with papers flying everywhere scattering all around him popped into your mind.

“That sounds nice. I can barely cook for myself. It's a nice life skill to have!” You hoped he wouldn't take that as flirting but Yoosung was so innocent that your words could have gone either way.

“I should teach you. Once this is over with, we'll start Yoosung's Cooking School! It’ll be free of charge because we're friends. And Seven would be invited too. But all he eats are those Honey Buddha Chips and PhD Pepper!”

“It's not too late!” you said to him. “The more the merrier.” You liked where the conversation was going. It was soothing and friendly. You hoped you could keep up a lifelong friendship with Yoosung. He seemed like a valuable friend.

“And maybe we can invite Zen, too. All he ever has is beer in his fridge, I checked. Oh, and maybe Jumin too. He has his own chef but it could never hurt, and since Jumin is married, it would be nice of him to cook for his wife every now and then like a proper husband.” His words made you cringe, but Yoosung went on, thankfully, “And since we'll have Jumin, why don't we get Jaehee as well? I can teach everyone how to make kimchi. Jumin can cut the onions.”

“But he'll cry. And Zen will take pictures!”

“No, he won't! Jumin's incapable of crying, that's why he's the perfect man for that job!”

Yoosung was being adorable, you decided, even with the comment about Sarah, which he said with innocence and a sense of devotion. He did suggest inviting the Men of Monogamy club yesterday and you were currently trying to explain how it could work buying your girlfriend or wife handcuffs in a totally metaphorical sense. It made sense in context.

Despite that, Yoosung was totally a friend for life after you two would officially meet next week. Though you did wonder if Jumin had ever cried before. He had definitely felt emotions, if last night was a good indication.

“And don't worry, we'll force Zen to put away his phone. It'll be a success!" Yoosung paused. "Oh, look at the time! I have to go catch my bus! I really gotta go to school.”

“Oh, okay Yoosung. Don't be a stranger!”

“You too, bye!”

You hung up, your stomach rumbling. You called Seven immediately afterwards.

He picked up this time. “Defender of Justice Seven Oh Seven reporting for duty!”

“Morning Seven."

“Miss Vanderwood and I have been checking and you're safe, if that's why you're calling.”

“Oh that's great!” You still felt unnerved by this entire situation with the hacker. If only they hadn't been the one variable here, then maybe you'd be able to continue your life. “I was wondering if it was okay to leave the apartment.”

“Only to the store down the street. I have access to the cameras there too!”

“Um…”

“You're worried about your job? The one you had prior to joining the RFA.” You were quiet, unable to respond to the accuracy of what he just said. “Nothing escapes Seven Zero Seven! Yahoo!” You could practically hear him fist pumping the air.

You wished you were that jovial.

“We'll figure something out. Do not worry, for Seven will save the day! You just stay there in your spot and don't do anything that may put you in danger, okay?"

“Okay,” you said reluctantly, accepting you were now going to be jobless...again.

“Then the Defender of Justice Seven is over and out.” He disconnected from the line, leaving you to the stillness of Rika's apartment.

Maybe you could get Seven to forge some kind of document for you to get your job back. Or maybe losing this job was probably for the best.

Feeling resigned, you walked to Rika’s kitchen and opened the fridge, looking at the carton of eggs. You had already used up half of the dozen eggs but you decided maybe one was fine for the time being. You'd feel better after applying to some jobs, because nothing else was certain.

At least it gave you something to do. And something to distract you of your thoughts about your future lack of funds, Unknown, and Jumin Han. You stretched your hand out, opening the carton and grabbing one of the eggs, ready to start your day once more.

* * *

 Jumin Han stretched his hand and pulled on the tie that was farthest away from his more recently used ties. It was a faded black tie, made with a faded look in mind from Borborry in order to mix in with gray. It didn’t feel right to wear it today. He had taken to wearing black ties ever since the announcement of his engagement to the papers, but today felt different.

He held the tie in his hand, and heard a small, but recognizable patter of footsteps against the carpet of his walk-in closet. Jumin craned his neck to find Elizabeth the 3rd standing on all four paws, watching him with her permanently bemused expression.

“Elizabeth the 3rd. Sometimes I want to hire someone who will select ties for me every morning. I don’t like picking similar designs, but I don’t want anything too unique.” He remembered how Sarah had bought him a paisley black tie for their one month anniversary and he almost visibly gagged at how reprehensible it looked.

It didn’t match any of his patterns and worst of all, it lacked any form of symmetry. He wore it only once and left work early that day just to take it off. He did have to give Sarah credit: it made a good scratching post for Elizabeth the 3rd, so it wasn’t completely wasted.

“Sad that I have to waste my energy on such useless things in the morning.” Lately though, Jumin hadn’t felt like he had wasted his energy. Yes, he was using a lot of energy these days, but there was something normal about it, much like the Jumin from before, the one before Rika passed and V was still the friend he had known growing up, before his father essentially blackmailed him into a marriage he didn't want. Even talking to Yoosung just minutes ago felt like he was contributing to something. He didn’t think it was a greater cause by any means, but it gave Jumin a good feeling to comfort the poor boy.

Yet Yoosung wasn’t the one who had any reason to fear. And yet she did. Her attitude was so different in the chat this morning. She definitely played a warmer part in helping Yoosung calm down from his anxiety, but it was almost as if she had to forget her own neurosis and helped his. It was selfless, really. Almost the selfless kind of behavior someone of his position would hold as an asset...in an ideal world, of course. But he couldn’t help but admire it.

“You understand how I feel, right Elizabeth the 3rd?”

“Meow,” she responded, her wide blue eyes showing sympathy. Jumin wanted to believe she could read between the lines and know about the strange night that was last night. He couldn't quite get it out of his head. He hadn't had a conversation that honest and liberating with another human being since before Rika's passing.

“Jumin!” A voice said from somewhere in the penthouse. “Jumin! Where are you?” He winced and closed his eyes.

Sarah had walked into Jumin’s quarters and stood against the closet door. She was already dressed for the day, wearing a pastel baby pink dress that clashed with her magenta hair and a leather white purse slung against her shoulder, indicating she wouldn't be here for long, thankfully. _She has no sense of style or decency_ , Jumin thought. Meanwhile, Elizabeth the 3rd had walked and stayed behind Jumin’s legs, obscuring herself from Sarah’s view. Elizabeth the 3rd did not take kindly to Sarah and he knew the feeling was mutual.

“What did I say about you being in this closet?” he asked. Sarah appeared to ignore him, which annoyed Jumin in turn.

“Are you going off about decency again, Jumin Han? I’m your wife!” she yelled, practically reading his mind about the topic of decency. Too bad she didn’t understand the meaning of the word. “I’ll be leaving you here in a moment. I hope you know that your father wants you to attend to an early dinner tonight at The Seaport. We will be dining with the designers of Glam’s wedding dress and the wedding planners. Hopefully you can contribute ideas to it.”

It was definitely a jab at his unwilling participation of his father’s wedding that was going to be held just after the RFA party. It was as though some kind of sick coincidence that V scheduled the two events practically next to each other. Jumin dreaded this wedding just as much as the one he was forced to participate in. Two previous stepmothers and both of them were better people than Glam Choi if only for the sheer lack of interest they had in Jumin.

Jumin nodded. “I’ll see to it. I’ll speak with Assistant Kang on the matter.”

Sarah winced, yet her face couldn't contour properly, as though she were a robot. For all he said about Assistant Kang being a robot, at least her face was expressive. “You still have that plain secretary, still? Why don’t you get a cuter, more fashion savvy one? I could refer you to one of mine!”

“Because I prefer my assistants to have actual merit and act like it, unlike some people I know.” It wasn’t the best insult and he knew he could have done better. The kindness he was apparently showing earlier had softened him.

Sarah’s eyed widened, which was never a good thing. “Where’s that paisley tie I bought you? You should wear it tonight!” Before Jumin could respond, Sarah’s phone went off. He turned around, his back facing hers. “Oh, it’s Glam! We have an interview with Brides of Korea. I must get going. Ta-ta!”

Sarah left just as abruptly as she came. Jumin took the tie had had almost discarded earlier and began to tie it against his suit.

“Meow,” Elizabeth the 3rd said, purring against his ankles. She knew just how to de-stress him. Jumin bent down and picked Elizabeth the 3rd up, petting the top of her head, right between the ears just the way she liked it.

“I know, Elizabeth, but there's nothing we can do.” He and Assistant Kang had tried to get out of this situation months ago while they had the time, but all they kept finding were dead ends. He had given up, resigning himself to his fate as Sarah’s husband.

He bent his head down snuggling against her fur. Elizabeth was such a clean, beautifully scented cat, yet the smell of cherries seemed to have left her fur.

That gave him an idea.

He bent down, letting go of Elizabeth the 3rd and went back into the bedroom, where his phone was waiting, charging by his nightstand. He speed dialed Assistant Kang.

“Yes, Mr. Han,” Assistant Kang said, her voice as robotic as ever. But ever since the marriage, it had gotten worse.

“I need you to schedule two tickets to the cherry farm as soon as possible.”

“Mr. Han if I may, you have an important meeting with—”

“Assistant Kang, I will not repeat myself.” Jumin hung up on her. With his new need to run away, he knew he would be away from Sarah, Glam, and his father, but he would also be away from the new party coordinator. He would be going against his word in being available for help if something went down with the hacker, which was a cowardly thing to do, but it only reinforced that she was wrong about him being a kind person. Jumin Han was anything but kind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know your thoughts and if there's anything constructive I could do. I'm still adapting to this new writing style but I'm starting to get the swing of it. Thanks for reading!
> 
> 10/31/16 EDIT: Added Line break when jumping to Jumin's pov.


	4. Chapter 3: Day 5, 10:28 AM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our heroine discovers a few revelations all without leaving her chair and another heroine faces an insurmountable pressure like never before.

You felt the sense of impending doom grow closer as the afternoon inched nearer. Since you couldn’t go anywhere, you just stayed in Rika’s chair, using her desktop computer. You were applying to jobs online, having made a makeshift resume since you didn’t have the copy of your current one available to you. You didn’t know what you'd say if you were interviewed again as anything you couldn't say or do would be held against you and since this wasn’t the best of jobs, it didn’t say much for anyone else.

Food and retail was competitive too. A lot of people wanted to be waiting on others since tips could often lead to outrageous sums depending on the tipper and in those same pools, people wanted upward mobility. But you knew for certain that being a designer, a chef, or a manager didn’t appeal to you.

You wondered if you ought to put RFA Coordinator on your resume. Perhaps it was the sort of question you should ask Seven or Jaehee about. Jaehee would be able to tell you what to put on your resume and Seven would put a snazzy design.

In the meantime when you weren’t being boggled by job applications and searches, you were replying to emails aka the quizzing marathon set up by the potential partygoers. It must have been some kind of game to them. Maybe Rika had encouraged this behavior from them.

V’s friend Rui had sent you his latest message, asking you which camera was the better of the two, the Sonya or the Olymbus and you took these last ten minutes to research and compile your response. After some deliberation, you were persuaded more by the Olymbus X20 camera.

 

**Hi Rui,**

**I think the Olymbus X20 would be better since that model offers a much better quality and showcase setting. You wouldn’t miss a single sparkle in those delicious cakes!**

 

Despite the quizzing, it wasn’t so bad to do some basic research and tell these people what they wanted to hear. It was actually on the fun side of things, and sometimes it lent you to use your creativity skills too, which was something of a breath of fresh air. Rika’s job was actually a ton of fun when you put your mind to it. Too bad it wasn’t a realistic expectation.

Your phone went off. It was a text from Seven asking you to log onto the chat because he had something important to say. You were on desktop so why not?

The two people you were just thinking about, Seven and Jaehee were online. _Now would be a great time to ask resume advice, wouldn’t you think?_ Neither the rebel or the rational voice said. It was probably the two of them speaking.

 

**707: It’s so hard for me right now T_T**

**Jaehee Kang: Luciel, what happened with the hacker?**

**707: Ur not even asking how I am? T_T What has my life come to?**

**You: Uh, Jaehee…?**

**Jaehee Kang: The hacker issue was bothering me so much I couldn’t even think to say hello. I apologize to you too, Luciel.**

 

Seven did not take Jaehee’s reformed greeting well. You wondered why it was just the three of you. Ever since that first day, no one had been able to log in and chat at precisely the same time. Well, Yoosung was at school and Zen was probably rehearsing. Jumin...was probably working. But what about Jaehee? But wouldn’t Jumin be present?

 

**707: I came to talk about the hacker anyways.**

**You: We were going to talk about that sooner or later, right?**

**Jaehee Kang: He’s always just like that so let’s just get to the point.**

 

Jaehee was a busy lady.

 

 **707: To be honest, right now, I’m still wallowing in shock...After analyzing the hacker’s route and methods,** I found out the shocking truth, **that it followed the exact order of my algorithm that I scrambled up to break in.**

 

You didn’t like where this was going. And neither did Jaehee by the looks of it, as she replied only by using an emoji of chibi Jaehee in shock.

 

**707: I mean...It’s probably a person who’s studied my methods for a while. It’s not your average hacker doing this for fun.**

 

Great, so you were just a domino in Seven’s games. You asked him if it was someone he knew. Seven made it seem like he was a complicated man with a life that no one deserved to live, by the looks of it. Jaehee, of course, wanted to properly zero in on the situation. Maybe her break time was ending.

 

**Jaehee Kang: Luciel, do you have any enemies that we should know about?**

**707: Haha. There are...so many. A countless number of enemies…**

**Jaehee Kang: Oh my god….If you have many enemies, you are most likely to get yourself in danger,** but so are all the members of the RFA now **. You are figuring out a way to solve it?**

 **707: Yup!!** I can sincerely promise **. I’ll risk my life to make sure that this gets solved without harming anyone.**

 

Seven used an emoji, upsetting Jaehee, who used an angry one in turn.

 

**707: I decided that I can’t use my normal defense codes so I changed the security algorithm from top to bottom. That already took most of my time.**

**You: Did you talk to V?**

**707: Ya. He said we should just lay low and keep an eye out for now. He told me to take care of it alone if I can.**

**Jaehee Kang: I see… If that’s what V said, we’ll just have to wait I suppose. Alright. I’m glad you at least found out how it got in.**

**707: Ya**

 

You considered asking about Jumin. It didn’t hurt anyway.

 

**You: What about Jumin?**

**Jaehee Kang: What** about **Mr. Han?**

**You: Well, V said to rely on Seven and Jumin if anything were to go awry last night.**

**Jaehee Kang: True. Mr. Han’s penthouse is most likely the one place with more security than Rika’s apartment would. But it would be odd for a grown woman staying in a married man’s house without any relations and with the way the tabloids are** I would recommend against it.

 

You knew better to than to even think about staying at Jumin’s penthouse. Of course you wouldn’t have to worry about food and other essential supplies. But that wasn’t your intention at all.

 

**You: I didn’t mean staying at Jumin’s place at all. I meant to ask if he was a target too, because of his status and...well, I don’t know how to put it, but power and wealth.**

**707: Doubt it. It’s top secret that hacker 707 is part of the RFA,** but the other party knows this. **Finding out the technology behind it is my expertise, but honestly,** I don’t know what this hacker wants.

**Jaehee Kang: You’re both right, however, the fact that the hacker knows 707’s identity, Luciel’s security codes...it seems to be aiming for Luciel rather than Mr. Han, but we cannot rule out any possibility. In that case it may prove necessary to move you to Mr. Han’s penthouse if worst comes to worst.**

 

There was a pause in the chat that Jaehee filled.

 

**Jaehee Kang: Since we’re on the subject of Mr. Han...He didn’t seem to pleased in the morning.**

**You: Is it because of the hacker?**

**707: Mr. Director not feeling well because of the hacker? ;;;**

**Jaehee Kang: I suppose that could be a reason. He might feel better if I tell him Luciel found something. It’s only 10:46 and Jumin’s on his third wine glass of the day.**

 

She showed a photo of Jumin in black pinstripe suit drinking a glass of wine. He seemed unfazed that Jaehee snapped a photo of him like this. He was gorgeous to look at and elegant without even trying to be. But despite your first impressions, you could start to see beneath the surface of the picture. His disheveled hair, the way his tie was crooked and his eyebrows furrowed as though lost in thought. This was a captured moment of loneliness and desperation. Your heart went out for him.

 

**You: Jumin looks so lonely.**

**707: He Just looks pissed.**

**Jaehee Kang: I also think he’s not feeling too happy. Things have been…unpleasant since the wedding.**

**707: We tried. I still want to try, but I am so swamped with work...and the hacker.**

 

Seven spammed the chat with the emoji of him wallowing on the floor.

 

**707: But going back to the photo, I couldn't see Jumin’s loneliness T_T Our new member must have a better optical vision than us. She can read the subtle differences in people’s expressions. U and I wear glasses, Jaehee.**

**Jaehee Kang: I’m too busy to come back at you.**

**707: That reminds me, did you read the article about C &R spreading online?**

**Jaehee Kang: Which one?**

**707: Right. There’s dozens of them. Gotta specify!**

**Jaehee Kang: We could be talking just one of many of them: Perhaps the one about Mr. Han being interviewed just after his visit to the winery? Or maybe the ones about his father and his upcoming wedding to Glam Choi? Or the trashy ones that allegate that Mr. Han is cheating on Sarah with me and implying that we have engaged in a torrid affair and are lovers?**

**You: All those articles must be a pain for you to read.**

 

You shuddered as Jaehee expressed gratitude for your sympathy with a thankful emoji.

 

**707: The one about Sarah saying that she and Jumin will be having dinner tonight, making their first public appearance in an interview with Brides of Korea. She says there may be a surprise about C &R.**

**Jaehee Kang: Ridiculous. Mr. Han would make Sarah sign a contract about trade secrets wife or no. Though I can see Sarah driving Mr. Han to drink.**

**707: I still haven’t forgiven him for crashing my most precious baby car!**

 

Seven showed a picture of an epic car crash of a white Italian sports car, the one all the boys in your middle school all said they wanted when they grew up. There was a lot to take in the photo. Said car was flipped backwards and on fire where a tall fountain was supposed to be. There seemed to have been stone cherubs but they were knocked down by the car, their heads rolling on the floor in shocked expressions.

In the background was a well-dressed, but screaming crowd as a banquet table was on fire and an ice sculpture was melting along with a cake. Even some of the trees had caught a whiff of the fire and were burning the background. It looked a lot more like an apocalypse than a party.

 

**You: What is that?**

**Jaehee Kang: That was Mr. Han’s wedding reception. Mr. Chairman paid millions of dollars to keep that photo hidden. It doesn’t surprise me Luciel was able to obtain a copy.**

**707: My poor baby car. You still owe me a week with Elly, Juju! YOU HEAR ME?!**

**Jaehee Kang: Mr. Han did not take to his wedding very kindly as you can see.**

**You: Was he okay? He wasn't hurt, was he?**

**707: My baby car was built for protection. But it was awful. I remember going home with Zen that night, crying.**

**Jaehee Kang: I had never gone to a wedding where there was this much crying before. But thankfully, Mr. Han was safe. Chairman Han was not happy about this.**

**You: So he got your car and took off? I'm so confused!**

**Jaehee Kang: Mr. Han disappeared for a while during the reception. I didn't think anything of it at the time because Mr. Han is prone to doing this at meetings.**

**707: I was there!**

**Jaehee Kang: I thought he had gone home to see Elizabeth the 3rd but when I saw Driver Kim and asked where Mr. Han was, he said he was last spotted arguing with a valet and a man with glasses.**

**707: That man was me T_T**

 

Seven posted his on the floor emoji. But you were still confused as to why the cake was melting in the photo.

 

**707: It was a bad night for us all. Rip baby car.**

**You: But why is the cake melting?**

**Jaehee: Ice cream cake. It was Glam’s idea. Clearly not a recommendation for the next wedding.**

**You: Well, this wedding looks like a disaster. Sorry, Seven. T_T**

**707: thx thx**

**Jaehee Kang: Now that we've veered way off topic, I should go. Mr. Chairman has been messaging me for the past minute. Oh no. Now he’s calling me. I must take this call. Please take care of yourselves. Talk to you later.**

 

Jaehee left, leaving you alone with Seven once more. For a moment you felt safe, knowing he was there, but you knew the moment was fleeting as you’d be back with your ever treacherous thoughts and the fact that you’d be jobless again in T-minus one hour and eight minutes.

And there was that lonely looking photo of Jumin looking so downcast...And not to mention the fact that you were still processing whatever that photo was that Seven sent via the messenger. It was a lot to process and think about but before you could continue watching it again, Seven diverted you from your thoughts.

 

**707: Mr. Chairman...**

**You: Is there anything to cheer Jumin up?**

**707: Lololol But ur really interested in Jumin;;;;**

 

Your eyes went slack at the screen. You shook your head, glad the CCTV cameras couldn’t see your pained expression. What in the world was Seven even saying?

 

**You: What? I’m not interested in Jumin! He’s our friend! He’s clearly not feeling well today!**

**707: Hahaha**

 

Seven used a happy emoji, which irked you. He knew you having a crush on Jumin was a hopeless cause anyway and his response didn’t make you feel any better. The fact that he was able to see through that bothered you.

 

**707: Oh! Thought of it!!! Suddenly thought of a way to brighten up our little Mr. Director lololol**

 

Whatever it was couldn’t be good. This was Seven.

 

 **707: So easy. Simple. Easy peasy. And that is!** **Inviting the Making Pancakes Cats Can Eat Committee!** **I feel like he’ll be so happy to hear that. Lol So cute lol. The pancakes have cat paw prints lolololol. Just imagine it. Isn’t it cute?**

 

Seven used a happier emoji of himself. Actually this wasn’t a terrible idea. And you had to admit that sounded adorable. Maybe they could teach you how to make pancakes for cats. It didn’t seem like a life skill, but still something to talk about. It was right up Jumin’s alley.

 

**You: Jumin will like it. Let’s invite them!**

**707: Yay!!! Once Jumin feels better I’m gonna ask if I can play with Elly. lol. I want that pancake too lol. Apparently humans can have it too, lol. Although they say the one with salmon has too strong a fishy smell;; Talking about pancakes makes me hungry...I should have Honey Buddha Chips…**

**You: You’re making me hungry too, Seven! OMG. You never get tired of those chips, do you?**

**707: Honey Buddha Chips is like drugs, lol. Can’t. Stop eating them. I’m gonna eat lots and go get that hacker.**

**You: Whoo! Go Seven!**

 

Seven logged out and you followed after, reading and signing the online agreement. You logged back into the app and placed your phone within your peripheral vision, waiting for the email from The Making Pancakes Cats Can Eat Committee to email you. A red light on your phone would soon blink and you’d get a push notification on it. Then you’d have to do some research on the subject matter. This one felt like it had some weight to it. If they said they were going, maybe it would improve Jumin’s mood. You could see him taking tips from them and making salmon flavored pancakes for Elizabeth the 3rd.

 _Jumin, Jumin, Jumin,_ your mind thought. He and Seven were at the forefront of your minds for entirely different reasons. Seven because of the hacker and his possible connection to him and Jumin because of his unsettling loneliness and well…

You thought about the past four days and how it was the others who mentioned Sarah. Jumin never wanted to speak about her or bring her up and now you found out this super secret photo of what would have been a paparazzi’s dream was unveiled to you. No doubt would future chats be about Zen and Yoosung talking about their points of view on the incident.

And you had to admit, your interest had been piqued in the subject matter.

That was the thing with the RFA. They would talk about casual things and then one of them would drop a bomb and then the members would talk about this subject for the next few hours.

But still, the way Jaehee made it out to be was as if Jumin was actually trapped in this marriage and that there was no way out. But what could you do? You were confined to this apartment and all you could do was participate in chats and email the guests until you were given clearance by Seven. It sucked but that was the way things were. Even with the impending doom of you losing your job, there was something satisfying about answering the emails about the party guests.

You saw the red light on your phone blink and there was the email from Pancake that you had been waiting for. It was time to get to work.

* * *

Jaehee saw the light of her phone flicker as Mr. Chairman’s name and photo flashed on the screen. She took a deep breath and answered it. She was glad that Mr. Han had left the committee room before she logged into the chat, and she didn’t know where in the world he went.

He was more than usually out of it today and Jaehee usually didn’t care about what affected Mr. Han’s emotions, but ever since the wedding to Sarah, she had felt the weight of world falling and crashing onto her. His relationship to his father had been growing progressively shaky by the day and Jaehee was growing concerned that Chairman Han would fire Mr. Han as C&R’s Director and thus she would lose her job in turn.

“Ms. Kang?” Chairman’s voice said on the other end of the line.

Jaehee sat in one of the swiveling chairs and eyed one of the Tosai koi that was a gift from a Japanese businessman to Mr. Han last year. The fish had grown big in the past year, bigger than its comrades, it’s orange pattern looking striking and vivid compared to the other fish.

“Yes, it’s Jaehee Kang. Yes, sir.”

Talking to him was like stepping on eggshells. Jaehee held in her breath and waited for a response.

“My assistant saw that my son was planning on visiting his cherry farm again.” Jaehee did not respond. “I have plans with my son tonight. Do not let it happen.”

“You mean the dinner with Mr. Han?” Jaehee played it neutral.

“It must be this evening. Glam has shown me the tabloids about you and my son. This dinner must happen tonight, I repeat.” Jaehee didn’t need to know that if Jumin had his way, she’d be out of a job. And if Jumin didn’t have his way, she could also be out of a job.

Jaehee Kang was stuck in a fork in the middle of the road.

“Must be this evening, yes, yes…”

“Without the shadow of a doubt. We must avoid any further scandals.”

“No sir.” Jaehee was tired of the scandals. Why couldn’t Mr. Han just follow Zen’s example of a scandal-free life? “I will have to check his schedule and see if anything needs to be pushed back, but I don’t think there will be a problem.”

“Call me if there is an issue and we shall resolve it together.”

“Yes, I will check and call you back as soon as possible.”

“See to it.” Chairman Han was being relentless on the matter. The difference between him and his son was that he was a lot more direct and able to pressure others with ease. It must have been all those years of power.

“Yes, thank you. Bye.”

If Chairman Han was able to see the RFA chat, he would have been appalled and aghast of the incident that happened at the wedding reception. It was the final act of Mr. Han’s low mental stability. Jaehee disliked how Mr. Han was just a casualty in Chairman Han’s need to avoid scandal. It was rather ingenious on everyone’s part, she had to admit, yet she knew it was extremely selfish and cruel.

It was an elegant solution: Have one of the world’s most eligible bachelors marry while you quietly divorce your second (or was it his third?) wife to avoid the blowout in that scandal. It was a phenomenal distraction and only someone adept in knowing the way the media worked would be capable of masterminding such a way to avoid a media firestorm.

It was why Jaehee couldn’t underestimate Glam and Sarah, for this was never an idea Mr. Chairman would have. If anything, he knew nothing of how the media worked. The wedding had caught both Jaehee and Mr. Han by storm, completely blindsiding them.

But Jaehee’s job was on the line yet again. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, her fingers speed dialing Mr. Han. She was going to have to brace for impact.


	5. Chapter 4: Day 5, 11:55 AM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our heroine has an eye-opening conversation with a friend who proceeds to give sound advice...and she immediately ignores it.

In just five minutes your manager would know that you couldn't show to work and you'd be out of a job. Maybe she'd give you five extra minutes, but you knew she was expecting a no-show.

To be honest, going from this location to your job would probably take the good part of an hour to get. It was definitely a lot closer to your apartment than Rika's, since there was no way you'd go out of your way to work in a place like that.

It wasn't worth it.

You tried to avoid looking at the time.

But was it impossible to ignore. It was on your phone, your computer, the microwave, oven, and even a small clock Rika kept in her bathroom.

Wasn't time supposed to be relative?

But you weren't the philosophical type, especially on the science front.

Either way, you were tempted to power down and shut off everything as the time inched closer to noon. You didn't know if the existence of a higher being was true or not but in that moment you prayed for a distraction, anything so long as it was a safe one.

You needed one so badly.

You logged into the chat. Your heart skipping a beat when you saw Zen's name at the top of the screen of Rika's desktop computer.

“Oh thank god,” you murmured.

 

**ZEN: Hey there! Good to see you!**

**You: It’s good to see you too! How was rehearsals?**

 

You liked Zen, honestly even with the narcissistic tendencies and all. He was something of the mother to the group and you felt like he was someone worthy of your trust. Except you knew this nagging crush on Jumin wouldn't sit well with him.

 

**ZEN: It's went well! No actually... rehearsals didn't go too well. My director was watching me act but he started showering me with compliments about how I look like a Greek God how I can act better than Al Cappuccino.**

**You: I guess he was being nice? At least he was complimenting your acting.**

**ZEN: Yes, but he kept doing it in front of all the other actors so it got kinda embarrassing.**

 

You looked at the clock roll from 11:59 to 12:00 and you swallowed dry air. It was time. Except it didn't feel like anything had changed.

It would definitely affect you later, probably next week when you were at the party and no paycheck would be deposited to your bank account.

 

**ZEN: I felt a bit weird and came here. And here I am, with you!**

 

You and Zen had that in common, at least. You both needed a distraction at the moment.

You began typing but Zen beat you to it.

 

**ZEN: I just read that Seven has something on the hacker so I’m feeling pretty relieved. Seven that boy. He's got some skills. It's such a good thing we have Seven. IS THAT WHAT HE THOUGHT I’D SAY!?**

 

He displayed an angry Zen emoji on the screen.

 

**ZEN: You put us all in danger, especially her. You better get this fixed! I don’t know how many enemies he has, but he can’t live long like that. I should know. Years ago I was in a motorcycle gang and got involved in a lot of fights, but those with a lot of enemies always get beaten down, so learn from that, Seven, when you read this.**

**You: Wow.**

**ZEN: We don’t know for sure if the hacker’s going after Seven but I mean, he studied Seven’s methods…?** **It feels really likely that the hacker has something against Seven…** **I hope he gets this resolved quickly for all of our sakes, especially yours.**

**You: We spoke and he's working on it. Don't add more to the pressure.**

**ZEN: I know you're our newest member but you're one of us now and I care for all of the RFA members.**

**You: Even Jumin?**

 

Zen was quiet when you threw the question down.

 

 **ZEN: That dude. I got his** burly security guards with super short hair **a couple hours ago and they scared off my favorite goldfish shaped bread truck that would park outside my home and I had to get my food elsewhere. Do you know how hard it is to get good goldfish with the right amount of bean paste? And you can even put cream instead!**

**You: That sounds difficult.**

**ZEN: Not that that jerk Jumin would know since it's so-called commoner food. I hope the truck comes back… Then my stomach will be in peace. We had a good deal. I would come to his truck and eat his goldfish with my beautiful face and the customers would come in running. It was the perfect win-win!**

**You: It sounds like a problem.**

 

You wrote that with sarcasm but you weren't sure if Zen would comprehend that. Once Zen got on a rant you noticed he became immune to whatever others said.

 

**ZEN: Let me tell you what a real problem is. I saw the photo that Seven put out and I'm not going to question how on earth he even got that photo in the first place. That dude gets married and because he doesn't want to, he decides to steal Seven's car and crashes it on the way back.**

**You: Seven said you took him home?**

**ZEN: I called a cab to send us both home and Seven was sobbing the entire time about his baby car being destroyed to pieces because trust fund kid couldn't handle an arranged marriage.**

**You: ...okay...**

**ZEN: Next thing I know, I'm at Hitgo filling up Seven's other so-called baby cars with premium gas with MY money.**

**You: Premium gas is pretty expensive…**

**ZEN:** It is! That was practically two productions worth of money! **But money means nothing to that trust fund kid, does it? Money was something he was born to, not something he had to work for like the rest of us.**

 

You understood where Zen was coming from, but at the same time he was being too biased. He wasn't the one in this situation, even though he was there by proxy.

 

**You: I understand what you mean, Zen, but think about it through Jumin's perspective.**

**ZEN: I can try, but it's difficult to sympathize when he's born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Yes, I felt just as bad as the other RFA members who couldn't help him get out of the marriage but life isn't without difficulties.**

**You: I know, Zen.**

 

You honestly didn't understand how the chat veered off in this direction. Things were already going pretty oddly.

 

**ZEN: The way you're defending that jerk is making me think Seven's joke wasn't a joke after all.**

 

What was up with Zen today? Why was he being like this? Was it the compliments from his director or the lack of selfie-sharing? Zen was usually the most chill and laid back in the chats other than Jaehee whenever she wasn't swamped with work.

 

**You: I'm not defending anyone! I'm just saying it's important to understand how things work through other people's lenses. This goes for both Seven and Jumin.**

 

You were being truthful there. Just like you were having your own problems being trapped here in a dead woman's apartment, having taken over her duties too, and in danger possibly because of it. Seven had his job as well as taking care of the hacker, who may or may not be his enemy. You were starting to feel frustrated by Zen's grudge against Jumin.

 

**ZEN: You must be a very patient and understanding person. I, for one, would not do well in your situation. It's honestly admiring!**

 

Zen put one of his happier emojis and you raised an eyebrow just wondering how the chat between the two of you did a one eighty.

 

 **ZEN: However, if Seven were to be right, I can't see anyone sane crushing on that trust fund kid or even feeling attracted to him. I would tell you and all other women to** stay away from him **. He's married and Glam and Sarah may seem airheaded, but they would destroy you in a heartbeat if you messed with them. And it's morally wrong too.**

**You: You'd be no stranger to the concept of scandals since it would ruin your career as an actor.**

**ZEN: Yes. I've been careful to not get entangled in a scandal so far and I intend on keeping it that way.** **_People like you or especially me will get destroyed_ ** **and my beautiful looks won't save me there.**

**You: You're absolutely right, Zen.**

**ZEN: Of course I am! But I really do mean it. One of my actor friends used to work part time as a waiter in a really nice luxury restaurant where Glam and some friends went. He mixed up her order and Glam got so upset that she got him fired that same night.**

**You: Wow.**

**ZEN: My friend was unable to find jobs in the restaurant business after that because Glam trashed him and made him unhirable. She made** **threats that she would go on television and put them out of business for hiring incompetent staff members.**

**You: Yikes. Is he okay?**

**ZEN: He got a recurring role on a soap opera and they pay him well there, but his character is getting killed off in the next episode so he'll be out of a job again too. But the point is that that was just small-time compared to what Glam can do.**

**You: That's pretty scary.**

**ZEN: That's why I'm telling you not to get closer to Jumin. I'm saying this as a friend who doesn't want you to get hurt. These are people you want to stay far away from.**

 

You felt even worse for having this silly crush on Jumin. Last night was just a phone call and he was just being a friend. Friends got on well with friends, that's the way friendships worked.

Zen may have had a personal vendetta against Jumin but he made a lot of good points.

 

**You: Thanks for looking out for me, Zen.**

 

He sent a text box with roses paved at the bottom corner and a Zen kissing emoji.

 

**ZEN: You're my friend! Oh! Look at the time! It's time for rehearsals again!**

**You: Good luck, Zen!**

**ZEN: Bye!**

 

You sighed and looked at the time. It was now 12:15. Things still felt the same as they did an hour ago. Or yesterday. The stillness bugged you and you hated being inactive like this. Not that you were the most active person but there was only so much you could take of the isolation and boredom.

And the hacker…

Could they have been the same person who led you here?

You looked again at your RFA app on your phone to see the initial message you got the moment you first logged in.

 

**It’ll be really fun from now on. Enjoy your time with everyone. I’ll go get you soon.**

 

You had read it at least a couple hundred times, wondering if it was a glitch, but it made you think of the possibility that Unknown was there, lurking, watching all the chats and reading all of the text messages.

 

**I’ll go get you soon.**

 

Was that what happened last night? Was this a warning that they were going to get you soon?

Possibly.

There was the problem that you never told Seven about this text message. Initially, you felt like maybe the entire group would find you suspicious right after they decided to give you a chance.

You wanted to say something but everyone was so cheery and nice that you couldn’t bring yourself to do it. And then time passed and eventually it became a game of chicken and you were too afraid to say something that could break their trust.

The members of RFA were your allies and yet here you were withholding information because you were too scared of conflict. You knew you’d have to muster the courage to tell Seven eventually, but now wasn't the time.

Speaking of conflict, Zen totally had a point when it came towards the subjects of Sarah and Glam. You saw the magazines and articles rarely had mean things to say about the two of them, making them look a little too perfect for you to fully trust. Celebrities like that always brought a bad taste to your mouth. You wholeheartedly believed Zen’s story about his actor friend and despite Zen’s dislike of Jumin, Zen wasn’t the type of person to tell lies or exaggerate the truth when subjects like that came into question.

Your legs began to grow tired from all that sitting. The sad truth was that you had grown used to walking all across the department room floor back and forth so not moving about as constantly as you did felt wrong. You got up, walked to Rika’s kitchen, phone in hand, and bent down, taking some wipes and disinfectant spray to clean the counters.

You opened a radio app on your phone and set it to a pop station, where some songs in English played. You moved to the rhythm of the beat and motioned your hand against the countertops, your feet instinctively dancing to the song. Other than the chats, this was the perfect way to distract yourself from your lack of movement.

There was some dust on the top shelves and you pulled a chair from the dining room to properly reach out. That and you were too short to reach.

Rika was short from everything you saw, shorter than you, even, yet you were surprised she had a few things on top of the shelf. It was mostly gift wrap and other items used for gifting.

Yoosung made it no secret that Rika had a thing for giving things to others but still. It only made the dust worse. You continued to move and heard a clattering noise from where you were inside a small giftbox but the music suddenly stopped, being replaced by your ringtone.

“Huh?” You said, wobbling in the chair. You grabbed onto the open cabinet door, holding yourself steady as you lowered to get the phone before it hung up.

It was Jumin.

“Shit!”

This was the worst possible time! You screamed and closed your eyes, taking the call.

“It’s me. Are you busy right now?” his voice was calm. Zen was the actor but if you didn’t know he had downed at least three glasses of wine today, you’d have thought he was doing fine.

“No!” you said too excitedly. “I mean, no. I was just cleaning and taking a break from emailing guests.”

“Cleaning, I see.” There was that amusement again.

“Not all of us have maids, you know.”

“I hope you are at least wearing gloves, then.”

You looked down your bare hand. “Uhhh…”

“I read somewhere that it helps keep your skin protected from the chemicals. I remember reading it when I was doing research for a company that wanted to do business with C&R.”

“Right.”

“If anything I’ll buy you a pair of gloves. Better yet, perhaps I’ll introduce my maid to you and she can attend to you after the party as a thank you on my part. Yoosung suggested last night I talk with her and I still plan on introducing myself.”

“I guess Yoosung had an effect on you, then.” Your mind was racing once again and you begged for it not to go too far astray. Not now when Jumin was calling to talk to you again. “So what were you doing?”

“I was looking at some of the documents I have to sign and I just called to take a short break.”

“Spending the break with me, huh?” You felt your face growing hot. “I feel so special.” You tried to say that with that subtle playfulness that Jumin had mastered but you knew you failed miserably at it. Why were you like this?

“It’s not my first break of the day, but the coffee doesn’t taste good today and my headache isn’t going away.”

“Oh no.”

“So I came to the logical conclusion that came from the events of last night and how hearing your voice will make me feel better.” You froze. “Is this how you say I wanted to hear your voice?”

 _Goddamn_ , the rebel side of your mind said.

 _Dude, he’s married. M-A-R-R-I-E-D_ , the rational side said. _Hey look, you’re still capable of thought. Cool, you can spell words. Bananas B-A-N-A-N-A-S_ , it finished. Or was that the rebel side? You were so confused and overwhelmed by what was going on. And Zen. What about what Zen said?

“Y-yes…”

“There is something...what’s the word? Comforting about talking to you. You’re not in a position to judge who or what I am. I usually drink wine when the coffee is bad to change up the atmosphere but I think I found a new method.”

“I’m glad. It’s pretty reciprocal too.”

_No, you’re supposed to be dry and say you’re flattered! Remember Zen! Remember!_

“I noticed my eyes were feeling tired reading the report and before I knew it, I spotted a typo. How can there be a typo on something that requires my signature?”

“Well, I’m guessing that it could potentially null the contract, yes?” You paced around the kitchen back and forth, your surroundings had started to disappear around you. Your entire focus was now on this conversation.

“Exactly. Now what’s funny about this contract in particular is of a new business my father just wanted to start and he wants to rush it because of the wedding and the whole office becomes frantic as a result.”

“Well, that would explain the typos. It was that way when I was in the university too. I noticed that a lot of my peers waited until the last minute to write their papers and they’d schedule meetings with me to check on their writing to make sure it was in tip-top shape before they submitted it.” You winced, realizing you spilled a lot more about yourself than you intended.

“Scheduled? So you ran a business? Would I have to buy it from you? I’m sure students such as Yoosung or those with more ambition would pay to see trained eyes give it a second read.”

“No, for your information, it was a philanthropic organization my department did.” Might as well spill more. Jumin sure sounded impressed by the looks of it.

“So you do have experience with charities and organizations. You’re the perfect fit for Rika’s job in that sense. I’m glad it was you that came in, then.”

“I’ll admit it felt great helping people. I had follow-ups with the same students sometimes telling me my fixing and suggestions got them the grade they wanted. I liked seeing the results. I mean, who doesn’t?”

“You’re correct there. I just wish my father could understand…” Jumin stopped and you could tell he was probably dealing his own barrage of thoughts concerning his father. “Never mind.”

“You know, if anything happens at work or with your father, you can always call me. I’ll always make time for you, Jumin. Don’t feel burdened or anything. We’re friends,” you said with a small laugh.

 _Nice, nice, way to lure him in!_ the rebel side said.

_I’m not luring him in! I’m just making myself a friend because he clearly has issues with his dad. For goodness sakes, he crashed a friend’s expensive car at his own wedding. He clearly needs someone to talk to._

_Yeah, but you find him attractive and stuff._

“Will you comfort me then? I realize that I’m repeating exactly what you did last night. But I’m not in any danger of the sort.”

“Well, it seems to work for the two of us. Does your headache feel better, at least?”

“Wait a minute,” he said, his voice becoming distant. “What’s up? Oh, the wrong documents? Has the typo in the second paragraph of the second page been fixed? Good. Please leave it right there.” You heard a shuffling noise. “I’m sorry,” he said, this time to you, “the person who typed up the document brought me the revised version.” You heard a door opening and closing from his side of the line and you could hear talking. “It’s quite noisy outside.”

“Oh.”

“Before I got the revised document, you asked me a question?”

“I asked if your headache has gotten better.”

“It has subsided a bit, though I fear that the guests who were supposed to arrive in twenty minutes have arrived early so it means my headache may have only been temporarily suspended at the moment. I have to go,” he said, his voice hasty.

“Well, if it comes back, you know what to do.”

“I will. Have a good day, wherever you are.” He hung up and your surroundings snapped back to you in an instant. The weight of the world both expanded and condensed all at once from that conversation as you set your phone down and stood still for a moment.

The stillness was interrupted when the radio station from the app you used started up again, its noise loud to your ears. You stopped the app and shook your head.

“He’s just a friend. Just a friend,” you said to the kitchen walls. “A married friend.”

They said nothing back.

“Just your really intelligent and hot and oh my god stop…” you said to your scrambled thoughts. “You’re unemployed, broke, and he’s married and runs a global conglomerate. Stop before you get in too deep and/or worse.”

The rational side of your mind was begging you to reread what Zen said. Get it into your mind that this thing you were having with Jumin, even though this wasn’t anything special or important, ought to remain at nothing because if these women found out, you’d be having the devil of a time and there was no way you’d ever bounce back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who read, gave kudos, and commented. It means so much to me and it helps me work and churn these out faster, since there's still ways to go.


	6. Chapter 5: Day 5, 1:36 PM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our heroine listens to another sad tale and makes progression; Our hero starts to make a change.

You were in bed, lying underneath the covers, no longer motivated to keep on cleaning Rika's kitchen since Jumin's call. It was good enough already, since the countertops, sink, dishes, and cabinets were all clean and dust free.

The only issue was the floor was still dusty and needed a good mopping and the chair you used to clean Rika's top cabinets was still awkwardly lodged there.

Jumin Han had your mind up in smoke.

 _“Is this how I say I wanted to hear your voice?”_ That phrase stuck with you the most, repeating in your mind and racing, each time the meaning of it growing and making your heart dance.

 _Do you think he wants to hear my voice right now?_ your mind asked.

_Dude, he's probably saying that to be nice._

_So? Who the hell has ever said that to you ever?_

You sighed, hating yourself for being locked in this crushing spiral like a teenager again. Hell, it had been forever since you were this giddy about a guy.

 _Remember Zen? Remember how it's a known fact to everyone that Jumin pays compliments to every other girl and turns out to be an ass?_ the rational side said.

_Yeah, but what does he have to even gain by complimenting me? I'm not a business deal or anything like that?_

_It’s not that he has to gain. He has everything to_ lose _and so do you._

You concluded that both sides of your mind were right. He was being absolutely sincere but Zen was right.

You got an email notification from Uranai. You remember Jaehee suggested inviting her the third day you were here and it seemed like she wanted to match people who had the time for matchups. She was sketchy as hell, at least in her personality but she would certainly draw in people and cause a level of intrigue among the single party members.

Her response was positive, meaning you had four people now scheduled to go to the party. You made a mental note to go to your online agenda book and send it over to V and Jumin (though it would probably get to Jaehee first).

Maybe Uranai could find you a nice guy to settle down with. He'd have dark hair, maybe dark brown or black depending on the light, kind of floppy, an angular, yet slender face, pointed eyebrows, a proud look to him, and gray eyes.

_Dude, you're imagining Jumin again._

_No, it's not Jumin, you dolt. I’m imagining Not Jumin. There's a difference,_ the rebel side said.

_Gray eyes? Are you for real? And you're not even focusing on real issues here, like the fact that you've been unemployed for the past hour and a half. Oh, and how could we possibly forget, the hacker?_

Your phone made a noise again.

It was the chat.

 

**Yoosung☆: Hello? Helloooooooo**

**You: Yoosung!**

**Yoosung☆: How are you?**

**You: Lost in thoughts…**

 

You deleted what you wrote and tried to recall your conversation with Zen.

 

**You: Talking to Zen made me want goldfish shaped bread so badly.**

**Yoosung☆: I know, right? That's so sad when your favorite food truck leaves and never comes back. I remember when I was younger there was a Hawaiian Shaved Ice truck around my neighborhood. Rika, Sally, and I used to go all the time after we finished our weekend charity drives. They stopped going eventually and Rika was so sad.**

**You: I'm sorry to hear that! I have to ask you: who is Sally?**

**Yoosung☆: She was Rika's dog. She was a Spaniel like the Maiden and the Vagabond, you know? That movie about the dogs? Rika loved that movie.**

**You: It's a cute movie, especially the spaghetti scene!**

**Yoosung☆: I know! We'd watch it together sometimes and Sally would get so excited when she saw Maiden on screen since she was exactly like her, but animated! Oh, here it is!**

 

Yoosung sent a photo of a little boy with an adorable brown dog, both of them smiling. It took you a moment to realize that the little boy was Yoosung. The expressive violet eyes gave it away. If anything, Yoosung looked even younger and more baby-faced than he seemed in his current profile picture. It was evident he dyed his hair at one point and grew it out.

 

**You: Eek! You two are so adorable! I kinda want to pinch your cheeks!**

**Yoosung☆: I'm blushing! We both look like cuties there! Sally was such a good puppy! I miss her sometimes.**

**You: Was?**

**Yoosung☆: She died not long before Rika did. She had cataracts in her eyes and ran out of Rika and V's apartment when she was being taken out for a walk. She was blind and went out into the street. A car hit her.**

 

Yoosung placed a crying emoji and for once you felt the weight of it. It was actually devastating to find out such a cute creature like that face a horrible end.

A teardrop fell on your phone and you quickly wiped the teardrop with the ends of your turtleneck sweater.

 

**You: I'm so sorry, Yoosung.**

**Yoosung☆: The chats have been so sad today and I'm only adding to it. And the LOLOL servers have been closed for maintenance.**

 

He put another crying emoji.

 

**You: Oh no. Sorry.**

**Yoosung☆: And Seven brought up Jumin's wedding. Seeing that picture brings memories.**

 

You figured since Zen, who wasn't even close with Jumin, was at the wedding, Yoosung was there by proxy.

 

**You: Zen and Seven both said Seven had a breakdown over the car?**

**Yoosung☆: You really don't know about Seven's hobby with cars, do you?**

 

Yoosung used a surprised emoji. You knew Yoosung and Seven were close in age so they were probably the closest in terms of friendship.

 

**You: Not really. I'm still getting to know you guys.**

**Yoosung☆: Seven was teaching me how to drive stick shift, but before then, we used to go out for a drive all the time in that car. Seven drives so fast he reminds me of that man in the movie, the Envoyer.**

**You: So he was passionate?**

**Yoosung☆: That doesn't even begin to describe it. The wedding and reception were outdoors and I was at the the banquet table when it happened. There were so many pretty girls at the wedding, but I was too afraid to approach them so I decided to get food instead because I was too afraid to try and make conversation. I hoped maybe that would help.**

 

You laughed at Yoosung's attempt to attract girls. He was truly adorable. In another life, maybe another version of you dated him.

 

**You: So I'm guessing you didn't talk to any of them.**

**Yoosung☆: No! I'm still a forever aloner! Maybe at the next RFA wedding. It didn't even help that most of the girls there were staring at Zen, who I was sitting with, and at the groom himself. It was awful! Why can't I be as handsome as Zen?**

 

Zen was handsome but he had a career to pursue first before getting a girlfriend. You had gotten the email from the Forever Alone people Yoosung suggested last night, confirming they would indeed attend the party. You felt Yoosung was going off topic.

 

**You: Go on?**

**Yoosung☆: I was at the banquet table getting food, they had chicken and it looked delicious when I saw it happen in slow motion. Seven's car was speeding in the parking lot and swerved in slow motion, almost, yet it happened so fast! I quickly left the table because I was so afraid Jumin wasn't safe, but he quickly got out of the car before the fires started. V and I helped him recover and we checked if he was okay.**

**You: It's a miracle he was.**

**Yoosung☆: Seven's car is built for that kind of protection after what happened with a famous American actor. I spent the rest of the evening with V, Jaehee, and Jumin watching Jumin get chewed out by his father. It was so bad I felt like I was getting scolded!**

**You: Mr. Han sounds like someone you don't want to mess with!**

**Yoosung☆: Right? The worst part was that Glam joined in on the scolding!**

**You: WHAT?**

**Yoosung☆: Ever since the divorce, she's taken up her position as a new mother to him. It's not welcome. She told me my suspenders were childish! I think I looked great!**

 

Yoosung sent a selfie of him wearing a green button up with blue suspenders. He did look a tad childish, you had to admit, but Yoosung knew how to rock that kind of look. It was as though he was in his element.

 

 **Yoosung☆: The sad part was that** **I never got to have my chicken** **. They had all kinds of chicken too. Grilled, rotisserie, and** **_fried!_**

**You: Oh.**

**Yoosung☆: But all is not lost! That same company came back today at school during class. He was a guest today and gave us a free lunch! It's the first time in a long time I paid full attention in class, too!**

**You: Good for you. That's actually a really nice coincidence!**

**Yoosung☆: He talked about his business model about never reusing oil and gave us all his business card!**

 

You had an idea. Though Yoosung wasn't totally helpful to the situation and somehow made things even sadder, he still could have use.

 

**You: Hey Yoosung! I just got an idea! You said he was a caterer at Jumin's wedding and went to your school? How about you use that business card and tell him to contact me for the party?! Maybe he can give people samples or cater!**

**Yoosung☆: You're a genius! I didn't even think of that! I'll contact him right after this! You're so good at this!**

**You: I just confirmed Uranai’s arrival too! Maybe she can help us all find someone!**

 

Yoosung put a happy emoji.

 

**Yoosung☆: That's great! I'm glad we got to talk about something happy! Maybe we might be able to host a successful party and then if all goes well, we'll have even more parties!**

**You: Yes! I'm looking forward to it! I gotta add her to the agenda!**

**Yoosung☆: Oh okay! And we can get him to come we might share his recipes with us. It could be one more thing we can add to Yoosung's Cooking School!**

**You: I'm getting excited! I can't wait to learn all these recipes with you and the rest of the RFA members!**

**Yoosung☆: Right?! I have to go to class again. But I'm so sleepy from eating all that chicken…**

**You: Try your hardest, Yoosung! We're all cheering for you! Oh, and I had a roommate once who was obsessed with eating chicken. She would spray pepfreeze to make the smell go away!**

**Yoosung☆: Pepfreeze, got it, thank you!**

 

Yoosung logged out of the chat, leaving you once again to your thoughts. But you wouldn't let those stupid thoughts about Jumin consume you. It wasn't worth it.

You needed to reach elsewhere. Have more realistic and attainable crushes.

You opened the agenda extension connected to the RFA app and added Uranai along with Lame, Solo, and Allergies to the confirmed partygoers as the chicken man Yoosung spoke about popped up in your push notification. Your work with getting those four was done and it was up to the next RFA member who oversaw this to do whatever was next. You added accommodations and potential things Uranai could do at the party and hit send.

* * *

 Jaehee opened her RFA agenda extension, which came in through a quick succession of beeps she customized in a way for her to know this was high priority. It was limited to her, Mr. Han, and for V’s use, but she knew neither of those two would even look at it. Actually, Mr. Han was the likelier of the two to use the extension, depending on his mood, which was already unpredictable these last months since he married Sarah.

Jaehee couldn't help but let out a small smile that her suggestion, the matchmaker woman she consulted, agreed to go. She may have declared Jaehee as impossible to matchmake but at least a small miracle happened. She did a quick succession of the sign of the cross with her right hand, making the sign from her forehead, lips, and heart three times, then followed with another sign, moving her right hand from her forehead to her heart, left arm and right.

“Amen,” she muttered to herself.

So far she was able to get four guests in four days since the suggestion and she was likely responding to a lot more emails. The party now felt like a very real possibility.

She was sitting at her desk located next to Mr. Han’s office. Her office was small compared to Mr. Han’s room, but she didn't mind it, which she was grateful for because it was practically her home. Mr. Han was a generous boss, giving her a good view of the city and was able to grant her any accommodations, such as a bin and tray dedicated solely for RFA matters. It hadn't been used since Rika passed, but Jaehee felt a sense of excitement in having to to use it again.

She had just gotten in touch with Lame, making sure that he would promote and distribute his food as part of the banquet. Zen would be pleased to see his friend would be coming and Jaehee made sure to have him and his business divided into Zen's camp.

Jaehee loved organizing the guests seats and who would cater and who was in charge of greeting certain guests.

She decided it would be best for her to handle Uranai once again, though she wouldn't be asking her for matchmaking this time. She lost interest in the concept of marriage ever since Mr. Han’s marriage to Sarah. If Sarah was a match for someone like Jumin Han, then it proved that matches were a false notion. But at the same time so did falling in love.

Who fell in love these days anyway? Everything was always about financial security and opportunities. Her parents were the perfect cautionary tale: Her mother marrying a man decades older for love and him passing only a few years later, leaving her single and with a small child. Jaehee had nothing but pleasant memories of her father but they were so distant that she often wondered if they were but a dream.

Her door opened without warning, something only Mr. Han or Chairman Han did. Jaehee was already used to it.

It was Mr. Han. He had an expression on his face that Jaehee was unable to recognize.

“Mr. Han if it's about the cherry farm, I do apologize for…”

“It's alright, Assistant Kang.”

Jaehee tilted her head sideways in confusion. When she called Mr. Han earlier today to inform him that there was absolutely no room in his schedule that would even involve leaving this city, all he did was sigh and hang up in resignation.

But this....this was weird. Jumin Han was never the type of person to say something was “alright” to her.

“Beg pardon, Mr. Han, but are _you_ okay?” She wanted to know why the hell he was here.

“I'm...somehow better than okay. The meeting with our guests went well today and our deal is going to pull through with my father's investment. Be it as he may be, this one is worth our time.”

Jaehee didn't show any emotion. “I see. So would you like me to send them a gift basket on your behalf?”

“It would be appreciated,” he said.

“What?” Jaehee muttered. _Since when did Mr. Han...Forget it,_ she thought for the second time in two minutes. _It must be the wine._ “It will give them a call back and inform them that we will be ready to act shortly. Anything else?”

Mr. Han’s stance relaxed. “I'm seeing there has been a steady progression with the party guests.”

“There is,” Jaehee said. “It's much like when Rika was alive. It's a nice feeling, if I might add.”

“She's doing a good job so far. I think she might be a worthwhile investment for the RFA.” Jaehee concluded her boss was completely drunk. This wouldn't help him out when he would arrive to the dinner with Chairman Han. Jaehee was concerned. “I'm not here to praise our new member. I'm here because I need you to stay in late today and lead our other meetings in my stead, along with proofreading documents and your other duties of the day, including my own.”

Jaehee nodded, trying not to sigh. Of course him coming here meant more work for her. Yet he was oddly nicer about it. Usually, he sent a dry email or would commandeer her around. This was an unsettling change in behavior, especially since Jaehee was preparing for the worst yet again, not that this was a good outcome either. “Consider it done, Mr. Han.”

It felt as though every outcome resulted in her having even more work despite it all.

“There is one more issue I'm having that we must discuss in private,” Mr. Han said. This must be the real reason he came in to have a quick discussion with Jaehee. His expression changed from neutral to dire.

“Yes?”

“I'm concerned about the safety in Rika’s apartment. I have been aware of the chats between you, her, and Luciel but I fear it is not enough.” He crossed his arms

“What do you propose we do?” Jaehee asked.

Mr. Han crossed his arms. “We both need to call V and get the address. I do not care that he is in an area without service. In my experiences traveling, I've always found that service will come and go for a few minutes at a time no matter what. We need to call him as often as possible without end until he picks up. When he does, transfer the call to me.”

Jaehee saw the fire in his eyes once more for the first time in months. Fire that she hadn't seen since before the engagement, even. She felt compelled to say yes.

Was this because of the new girl? Despite Jaehee’s initial distrust, she found herself taking a liking to her. All of their chats were pleasant. “Of course, Mr. Han. I will set this high on our priority list.”

“I must leave the office.”

He settled back from the doorway and closed the door behind him. Jaehee shook her head and tapped on her phone again, using the passcode to unlock it.

Uranai’s picture stared back at her, reminding her of the fact that she would never have the time to find a match for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I ♡ pain and suffering, don't you?


	7. Chapter 6: Day 5, 3:00 PM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our heroine is dragged back to earth from the clouds and there's chicken involved, somehow. And another person tries to make plans and may or may not be suffering from delusions.

It had been three hours since you were put out of a job. You thought about your shift. Today was a sale day so they were likely going to have worked you till ten, maybe ten thirty depending on how much of a mess the female customers left and how fast it took the late night customers to leave and sometimes you would have to swat them down. You hated the idea of going into the fitting rooms and finding hoards of bras scattered throughout even though there was a sign telling customers not to leave clothes there. It must have been selective attention at play here.

You weren't going to miss the job by any means, just the money that would be deposited into your bank account.

Speaking of bank account, your stomach growled. You skipped lunch, wondering if you could do some kind of combination of dinner and lunch. Coincidently, you were getting paid today and you hadn't checked your bank account.

When you did, you saw you had enough to make the next rent payment and only for that, meaning you had to get to work quickly and definitely think about asking Jaehee or Seven on the down-low if doing this would affect your financial situation.

You'd have enough for rent and some other purchases, such as groceries and other needs and you were considering asking Seven if it was okay to do delivery. Chinese food sounded really good right about now and you’d do anything for some sweet and sour pork or chicken, especially the latter thanks to this endless talk of chicken and emails about chicken.

You wanted your mind to stop thinking about delicious, delicious food and you knew a possible way was the chat. You logged in through Rika’s desktop computer and saw there were no new emails or texts. You had responded to everything diligently, not like you had much else to do.

Then you saw their names on the screen as having logged in.

Zen and Jumin.

“Uh-oh,” you said out loud. You lowered your head, shaking it. “Why can’t they just get along?” Your attraction to Jumin was on the backburner right now because their conflicts nagged at you probably more than either of them probably felt towards one another.

Zen was already on the prowl and you knew this couldn’t be good.

 

**ZEN: Hey trust fund jerk! Why did you send such a scary looking security guard to my place? The goldfish-shaped bread truck ran away because of you.**

 

You sighed. “Yep, he’s gonna make this difficult. Zen, calm down for once in your life,” you said out loud as Jumin prepared his response. He could go either way, going between being condescending or sincere. You would have to wait to see how this played out before intervening.

 

**Jumin Han: Scary? I didn’t send criminals after you.**

 

He then sent a confused emoji. You bent your head down again at Jumin’s rare use of an emoji. He wasn't just going to reply with either sincere or condescending. He was going to do _both_.

 

 **ZEN: That’s not what I meant...** _Why do they look so freaking scary?;;;_ **All of your bodyguards look just like James Bone. Did you do that on purpose?**

**Jumin Han: A security guard’s job is to protect you. I didn’t know looks were important.**

**ZEN: ...But why do I have to get the gangster looking ones;;**

**Jumin Han: Oh...Come to think of it, all you care about are looks.**

 

There it was. Jumin had dropped the hammer. Now Zen was going to get even more upset. And you didn’t even know how to mediate between the two of them. It was frustrating to know that your pacifistic nature was more geared towards yourself and how you were towards others versus how other people were with each other. But you were going to try, damn it.

 

**ZEN: HEY!;; That’s not what I meant!**

**Jumin Han: Rika’s apartment doesn’t even have bodyguards and yet all you do is complain.**

**ZEN: ...That’s true...but…**

**Jumin Han: I’m sorry. It was rude of both Zen and myself, especially Zen, to not acknowledge your presence in this chat.**

**ZEN:** **Nothing happened, right? Are you okay?**

**You: I’m fine. If anything I’m concerned about the two of you right now.**

**ZEN: Don’t worry about me! It’s him that needs to learn a few things.**

**Jumin Han: It’s okay, not all of us can pay for etiquette school.**

**You: JUMIN AND ZEN! STOP IT!**

 

You wanted to bonk both of their heads together like they did in those old-school comedy shows. So what if you were terrible at peacemaking? You were going to say what you wanted to say since day one.

 

**You: This is not the issue! Both of you are being petty. Zen, please, just be grateful that Jumin is doing his best to protect all of you, even if you don’t see it that way for whatever reason; and Jumin, please stop baiting Zen.**

**Jumin Han: You’re absolutely right!**

 

He put a cat text box.

 

**ZEN: Dude, can you quit with the boxes? It’s making my allergies act up.**

**You: ZEN!**

**Jumin Han: Anyway, I wanted to see how you were doing...I'm glad I caught you in time before the dinner. I’m glad nothing seems to be happening.**

**You: Are you still at the office?**

**Jumin Han: No, I left early to prepare for tonight with my father, Glam, and Sarah by spending time with Elizabeth the 3rd and feeding her.**

**ZEN: Mr. Director. It must be so hard for you to do all that work~**

**Jumin Han:** _Mr. Director is having a hard time right now. But it has eased since I’ve logged into the chat knowing you’re here and safe._ **Oh, and so is Zen.**

**ZEN: Ha...ha...You attempt at humor isn’t as surprising as Yoosung talking about his class without mentioning LOLOL. I guess it’s because of the fried chicken, but still. Don’t know if you’ve ever tried chicken, Mr. Director, sir.**

 

Your stomach growled. “Zen! Why did you have to bring up the subject of chicken?” You bit into your nails, hoping it would ease your hunger.

It didn’t.

 

**Jumin Han: I know fried chicken now. It was served at the reception. Yoosung had recommended it to me, but I wasn’t hungry at the time. Apparently, it wasn’t just referring to chicken, but also “fried chicken delivery service to your home”.**

 

 _Mmm, delivery….Sounds so good right now,_ one of the thoughts said.

 _If only Jumin could be delivered to your door_ , the rebel side said.

_Oh! Here’s a thought! Skip the Chinese food and order a large bucket of chicken. Refrigerate or freeze it and just eat it over time. Oh, and get ramen. Maybe you should take a page out of Yoosung’s broke college student book that he tends to ignore._

You nodded, momentarily forgetting about the chat unfolding in front of you, silently thanking Jumin for the idea of delivery chicken and using it over the past few days. Now if only Seven could approve…

 

**You: Did you know that prior to the wedding?**

**Jumin Han: No. If I wanted fried chicken, my chef always made it for me. Well, I guess it’s similar because my chef delivered it to my room as well.**

**You: So you never had pizza or Chinese food delivered to your door from the restaurant?**

**Jumin: Not unless it was by my chef.**

**ZEN: Haha, do you know what gopchang or what a sundae is?**

**Jumin Han:** _No._

**Zen: You still have a long way to go.**

**You: Don’t worry about it. I’ll let you know what they are after the party.**

**Jumin Han: Thank you.**

 

You imagined yourself and Jumin going to a yogurt place and him taste testing everything. The small sample cups would probably blow his mind. Maybe you would take a picture of a confused Jumin. You giggled at how cute the thought was.

 

**Jumin Han: Please give me a full explanation including the food’s origins as well.**

**You: Okay! That sounds like fun. Maybe we should hit up places that explore the history of foods. We might both learn something new!**

**ZEN:...You get to know food with your mouth,** _not with your brain. You chew it, taste it, and all that._ **Don’t you know?**

**You: Yeah, but learning about it sounds just as fun!**

 

Zen did have a point for the most part. Food was just food. But at the same time, you read about how food had an impact in history, like the Irish potato famine or how the earliest recorded physical evidence of tea was discovered by how the coincidentally named Han Dynasty, which was big on tea. You wondered if Jumin had any relation or anything to say about the Han Dynasty. Either way, perhaps knowing these things would make you appreciate food more.

 

**Jumin Han: Come to think of it, the last time I had chicken, it was a too salty, so I had it with mild red wine.**

**ZEN: Chicken and wine?;;;**

 

That reminded you of how your favorite Italian restaurant used to be close to your dorm back in college and how you would go with your classmates and fellow tutors every other Friday.

 

**You: Wine! Yes, I love to have red wine with chicken parmigiana. My classmates and I used to try different Italian dishes with all sorts of wine back when I was in school. We would split the bottle, but the two went really well. You should try it someday, Zen!**

**Jumin Han: Cute.**

 

Your heart stopped. Jumin was calling you cute. _He’s really testing us today. Reallyyyyyyyyyy testing us…_

 

**ZEN: Pa...parmi what?**

**Jumin Han: Chicken parmigiana. She just said it just now. It’s a dish with chicken schnitzel covered in tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. I had it often when I was little. Father would take me to New York City on business trips and we would meet with investors at Italian restaurants there.**

**ZEN: You had chicken and parmesan cheese when you were little?**

**Jumin Han: Parmigiana.**

**ZEN:** _Parmesan cheese._

**Jumin Han: Parmigiana.**

**ZEN:** _Parmesan cheese._

**Jumin Han: Parmigiana.**

**ZEN:** _Parmesan cheese._

 

Not this again! You pulled on your sweater as you typed angrily into the chat.

 

**You: For goodness sakes, you’re both right!**

**Jumin Han: ...This is pointless. But there is some parmesan cheese in parmigiana, I suppose.**

**ZEN: Yeah, yeah, eat all the parmesan cheese you want.**

**Jumin Han: But you know... I have a question.**

**ZEN: Here we go;;; Don’t feel too good about this.**

**Jumin Han: Apparently you get a free bottle of coke when you order fried chicken. Why is that..?**

 

“Oh, Jumin, you poor, sheltered soul.”

 

**You: It’s the beauty of sharing. They just give you a free drink to tell you thanks for ordering~ It’s a business incentive to keep customers loyal.**

**Jumin Han: Is that so? The owners must be very generous. It’s a good marketing strategy if it doesn’t affect their sales.**

**ZEN: There were a lot of mom and pop stores for chicken before...but now that huge franchises are advertising on TV and trying to dominate the market, all those small shops opened with the retirement funds had to close down. See that, Mr. Director? The corporations are the cause of the problem.**

**You: Zen, I think you’re overgeneralizing. I know mom and pop stores are nice, but there’s pros and cons to both. That being said, I don’t think the corporations should be blamed for everything.**

 

You had your negative experiences with mom and pop stores in the past. Businesses always had a way of doing things whenever a mistake happened. The previous job you had before your retail job was a mom and pop store and it was such a negative experience that you took a small decrease in pay to get away from them. A lot went unregulated and swept under the rug. Meanwhile with bigger stores, there was less room for error and most problems could be solved with ease.

 

**Jumin Han: She’s right. I hope you don’t pass the blame for everything to corporations. Capital doesn’t always win in fields that require technology and creativeness.**

**You: He’s totally right. A lot of places now compete for creativity.**

**Jumin Han: Individuality is just as important and money doesn’t always work. In cases like that, there’s usually a problem with the country’s system rather the corporations instead, but it varies. Ultimately it’s a larger issue here at play, but I’ll explain it using the bare minimum: it’s up to the politicians to implement policies to protect such small stores. Capitalists, laborers, and politicians keep each other in check and cooperate. A good policy is made when the power is balanced. Instead of bashing one particular side, it’s up to the people to see whether or not the balance is intact.**

**ZEN: Oh...It wasn’t easy to understand, but you’re not wrong there, Mr. Director. Come to think of it, it’s your company that has your own grocery store, right?**

**Jumin Han:** _No_. **My company focuses on exports.**

 

That made sense and certainly explained why he zeroed in on such a detailed explanation. It definitely made you think that nepotism wasn’t entirely the main factor at play as to why Jumin Han was a director of a global conglomerate. You remembered Jumin once said he had a knack and appreciation for languages. And wasn’t Jaehee multilingual as well?

So what exactly made Sarah desirable to Jumin’s company for her to become his wife? That was the part of the equation you didn’t get.

 

**ZEN: Oh...Okay.**

**Jumin Han: It’s good to be critical, but get your facts straight before criticizing. Study up before you even start with the critiques.**

**ZEN: Alright.**

**Jumin Han: FYI, you’re wrong if you think that all you need is capital to make money easily. Small businesses have to constantly care for research and development.**

**You: It’s kinda cute to see you nag.**

 

_Oh no! What did I just type!_

 

**Jumin Han: Nag?**

**ZEN: I think she means you’re cute when you nag. I’ll admit it’s sort of endearing to not see you talk about that furball for this long. Haha...Haha…**

 

Zen was totally going to chew you out for flirting. Damn it.

 

**Jumin Han: ...Then I will have to do it more often.**

 

It killed you that he used the cat text box, only emphasizing how cute he was being. Your heart started beating at a faster pace.

 

**ZEN: What. You know, this wasn’t even one of the lectures I was going to give you when I entered the chat. You still owe Seven from what happened. He was still making down payments on that car when you wrecked it.**

**Jumin Han: Father said he would provide him compensation for his trouble. Did he forget? Of course he did. He’s preoccupied with his own wedding.**

**ZEN: As knowledgeable as you are in exports and business and whatever, you people never realize your faults. And that being said, you owe me by proxy for filling up Seven’s other cars.**

**Jumin Han: You did that out of your own free will. I owe you nothing. Luciel, when you read this, please try to contact me on the matter and we will get it fixed...After the party, wedding, and when the issue with this hacker is resolved, of course.**

**ZEN: It’s been three months.**

**Jumin Han: For now I need to focus on other matters. Sarah wants me to wear that unsatisfactory tie to dinner tonight. I thought I hallucinated her today, but Elizabeth the 3rd was there.**

**ZEN: That sounds like a real problem.**

**Jumin Han: Of course it is. Elizabeth the 3rd scratched it to pieces.**

**You: Wait, what?**

 

Maybe buying Jumin gifts was a terrible idea. You’d have to keep it in mind not to do that, since his wife’s gift was destroyed.

 

**Jumin Han: The tie is awful. That pattern...**

**ZEN: Does she even know the tie got destroyed?**

**Jumin Han: No.**

**ZEN: Don’t you know it’s not good to keep secrets in a marriage, no matter how convenient it is?**

**Jumin Han: I suppose. Then I ought to tell her. I should go. Goodbye to both of you. Stay safe and make sure to eat properly.**

 

Jumin left the chat. You were waiting for Zen to rip on you.

 

**ZEN: He just left;; You and I need to chat privately.**

 

Zen logged out, which caused you to log out by proxy. You signed to the terms of the agreement and logged out. Zen was quick to call.

“Hello?” you said.

“Hello,” he said, his voice pleasant. Zen always had a nice voice, but right now, you knew what would happen. “I know I can be harsh on Jumin, but the boy needs a reality check from time to time. I know he wants to avoid all talk about that wedding of his, but he of all people ought to know about accountability.”

“Yeah…”

“Speaking of accountability, Seven _was_ right, wasn’t he? You’ve developed a crush on the dude since you joined the RFA and it’s mutual on his part, from what it looks like. I didn’t want to see it, but it’s incredibly obvious.”

Your entire body was on pins and needles. There was no way Jumin had a crush on you, too. “Wait, what? No! He’s married!”

“Exactly! But I have my evidence from this chat alone. You think he’s cute when he nags, he thinks it’s cute when you have wine with that parmesan dish, and I know if I dig up the other chats you're both in, I'll find more.”

“It's parmigiana,” you corrected.

“Ugh! That’s not the point!” Zen said brusquely, “Sorry, I shouldn’t take out my anger on a lady such as yourself. Look, that dude and I may have trouble getting along and I don’t like his personality and values, but I don’t want to see you getting involved in that kind of mess. You’re not meant to be a mistress.”

“ _Mistress_?” you said, thinking out loud, all sides of your mind aligning for once.

“I’ve been watching the two of you chat for days and your flirting has one of those lingering effects that makes it really obvious. I don’t think the others have noticed, and they wouldn’t. Yoosung is too busy going off about LOLOL to care about anything relevant and Jaehee and Seven are always working on something so that leaves only me.”

“Okay…” you said, drawing the “o” out.

“I’ve read plenty of scripts to know this is wrong and it won’t end well for anyone. That’s just the way drama works.”

“Zen, this isn’t a drama. It’s real life.”

“You’re right, but you need to get it through your head. As unhappy as that dude could be with his wife, she’s still his wife. And you’re a girl who could do so much better. You have to promise me.“

“I care about Jumin, I really do, but I also care about you and Yoosung and Seven and Jaehee. I promise I won’t get involved in anything with Jumin.” You pushed back your hair in exasperation. Zen had caught you and although you weren’t confirming or denying whatever weird feelings that were coursing through your mind, he had you in your place.

“I will take your word for it.”

“However!” you exclaimed a little too loud.

“Huh?”

“I know you and Jumin don’t get along or see eye-to-eye, but please for all of our sakes, try to get along with the man! I’m not saying be best friends and go out shopping at Borborry together with sunshine and rainbows and unicorns and eye sparkles and blush stickers and singing and dancing and—”

Zen laughed at your tangent. “I think I know what you mean. It used to not be this way. Rika would often find common ground between us. She would have us talk about what our goals were and stuff like that.” Of course Rika was a skilled peacemaker. You weren’t surprised.

“It’s difficult. You both have polar opposite, yet equally strong personalities. Just…” You sighed in resignation. “Find a way to control your anger and resentment. Whatever personal thing you’ve got with Jumin...I get it, but it needs to stop. You’re both good people.”

“I promise to treat that trust fund jerk...I mean kid—.”

“Zen…”

He sighed. " _Jumin_ better.” There was a pause. “But you have to stay away from him and not become one of those girls I’ve seen my coworkers read about in their romance novels about wealthy corporate heirs. They’re into some weird stuff.”

You laughed. You always hated those books. They weren’t even quality trash literature like other trashy books were. You knew the most famous of them started off on fanfiction. But you were so broke and busy all the time to that point that you always thought about who had the time write that kind of thing. “Alright, you gotta promise to try and get along with Jumin.”

“I promise. A promise for a promise. Well, I need to go start my second workout of the day. What should I wear?” Zen mused.

“Something baggy that’ll make you sweat.”

Zen laughed. “That’s the spirit. Goodbye, cutie!”

“Bye, Zenny Zen!” you said, using the same tone of voice. You hung up, feeling slightly liberated from the conversation. You shook your hair out and brought it back, thinking about mistresses and corporations and chicken.

That was when you realized you had your ankles crossed the entire time during your conversation with Zen. In some cultures, it meant you were lying. But you were doing it unwittingly. There was no way you’d ever lie to Zen, especially after he agreed to try and get along with Jumin. You uncrossed your ankles and crossed your arms together, wondering how you were going to approach the issue of dinner to Seven.

* * *

 Sarah Han stared at herself in the mirror and crossed her arms, preparing for the occasion, staring at her fuchsia knitted dress, boots, purse and hat. She thought things were going to be easier once the marriage was over and done with, but the marriage itself was the biggest challenge.

Here she was back at her favorite store after The Incident two years ago without anyone ever remembering (unless they were being polite about it), wearing the latest fashion, looking incredible, and yet everything felt so wrong.

“Sarah?” a voice said on the other side of the door.

“Yes?”

“I want to see the outfit!”

Sarah opened the door and walked on the podium for Glam to see, closing the door behind her.

“It’s so pretty and it works so well with your hair!” Glam Choi said. “So much better than the French model.” Glam rose in the podium and toyed with Sarah’s hair. Sarah said nothing. “Is something wrong?”

“I spoke with Jumin this morning. He still hasn’t warmed up to me. I brought up that tie and he just…”

Glam hugged her, her embrace warm. “No arranged marriage is going to start off beautifully. If they did, wouldn’t people make them all the time? But he’ll succumb to you.”

“When?” Sarah had lost patience. Years of planning, of watching Jumin Han and his father, making their mark and staying in the picture. Two years of pain to acquire an even more beautiful face and body, a new name, and a fresh new start. Glam was the more gifted of the two when it came towards manipulation, but Sarah had the friendlier face and the sweeter demeanor. They were a team, but it had always felt like Glam was the only one succeeding even though her marriage hadn’t taken place yet.

That wedding was going to be beautiful and extravagant. It was going to be held in the most magnificent church in the nation and caterers and celebrities from all over the globe would attend. It was going to be the event of the year. The best part was that Glam had succeeded in convincing Jumin’s father to sign a prenup with stipulations that favored them, much unlike Sarah's. Once that would happen, all the bad things would go away.

“Have any of my suggestions worked?”

“No!” Sarah said, frustrated. She looked at herself in the mirror once more. _I do look very pretty when frustrated in this dress,_ she thought. Sarah stepped down from the podium and sat in one of the luxury chairs the fitting room was provided with, crossing her ankles together, her eyes looking down to her fuchsia knitted boots. They were oddly comfortable, even though they didn't look it. She began to list things off with her fingers. “For one, I bought him that tie and I've only seen him wear it once.”

“Yes, he likes ties, go on,” Glam said.

“I gave that infernal cat those boots during the second month and I haven't even seen her wear them at all.” That cat hadn't taken a liking to her, which was one of the factors messing with their marriage. It was basically another him, but in animal form. Sarah toyed with the idea of finding an identical cat who was more favorable in temperament and replacing her with it. But she figured Jumin wasn't that dense. His father certainly was, but the son was the sharper one.

“What about the…” Glam used her eyes to elaborate her point.

Sarah laughed in embarrassment. “Definitely not. I think since that night, he's taken the cat into the room and locked himself in.”

“Have you tried to check if it's _actually_ locked?”

“You think I haven't tried?” Sarah asked, appalled. “Nothing works. Pleasantries don't work, neither does talking about the cat or the company or anything. I try as often as we can but he's always at work or with his cat or on his phone.”

Glam stared down at her, nodding, though she was with her thoughts.

“It's difficult! He's an ice king.”

“Maybe we've been going about this the wrong way, Sarah,” Glam said. “What if we dial back on the trying and we lure him in another way?”

“How?” She motioned for Glam to go on.

“You need to distance yourself from him.”

“How are we going to do that if the entire plan tonight was to show reporters we're a happy couple?” Glam couldn't ever see the holes in her plans the way Sarah did. Maybe it was that attitude that lent to her being so successful in achieving her goals.

“Of course you're going to show them you're a happy couple, but you're going to be the perfect ice queen to his ice king when they're not around. Be pleasant and understanding to him when you have the chance, but don't kiss up to him. Maybe what's needed is the opposite tactic. You're gorgeous, Sarah, and if you play this hard-to-get angle, it just might work.”

Sarah didn't understand what Glam was going for. Romance was so much easier when the other party was invested as well, but Glam had to go pick the man who had an article or whatever with terrible spelling. _Does Jumin Han is Gay?_ Ridiculous.

He hadn't shown any interest in anyone or anything, save for that cat, his company, and that charity organization he was a part of, what was it called again?

“Is everything okay in there?” a sales associate said from the other side of the door.

“Yes,” Glam said sweetly, her eyes on the door. “We'll be out soon, my dear.” Glam looked back at Sarah, her eyes serious. “Don't show your desperation. Don't touch him, don't look at him unless he speaks. Be conservative. If we were able to overcome our trials when we were younger, then we can get through this together.” Glam held her hand out and extended it. Sarah uncrossed her ankles and got up, walking with her with the new outfit on to make the purchases for the set.

The two of them separated at the front of the store, with Sarah going in her car provided by Chairman Han back to the penthouse.

He was there, his back facing her. She could see by his movements that he was stroking his cat and watching the city through the window with her. It was indeed a nice view. This was the kind of thing her and Glam used to talk about when in their bunk beds as the fights went on outside.

“Hello,” she said, making her voice clear. Jumin turned around, the cat eyeing her as well. “Did you have a good afternoon?” She couldn't meet him in the eye, even from the other side of the room. Glam didn't know about how deep her embarrassment ran with Jumin since that night.

“I did,” he said, dryly.

“Good. I did as well.” She hated how terse and awkward these conversations were. It was still better than the behavior he demonstrated to her this morning.

“Driver Kim said he'd be starting the drive at four fifteen, is that am okay time for you?”

Sarah nodded. “Yes, of course.”

Her eyes went downward and found he was still wearing the same tie as before. She wasn't going to bring up that paisley tie up again.

“Would you mind if I sat down and watched some television? I'm in the mood to watch A! News.” Sarah knew A’s schedule pretty well. They aired a lot of fashion shows and some reality show about an American family with lots of money and connections. She was friends with this nation's branch of hosts and reporters and appeared in it often in recent times when talking about fashion shows.

“Go right ahead,” he said as she turned on the TV, sitting down on his pristine white sofa. It was on some boring stock market channel and Sarah fiddled with the remote.

It was awkward with the two of them being so close in proximity and exchanging such few words. Sarah wanted to connect with him, but there were all these walls.

Ryan Secret was on, with the subtitles underneath.

“Sarah?” Jumin asked, his voice cutting through Ryan’s fake high pitched voice. Sarah had met Ryan in private before, and knew his real personality was much more different than the bubbly one on TV.

Sarah turned her body around. “Yes?”

“The tie you gave me as a gift? It was destroyed. My apologies for not taking care of it properly.”

The wheels in Sarah’s head turned around. Sarah kept her face unmoving. Her initial reaction would be of anger. That tie was coveted and cost a pretty penny. But instead, Sarah crossed her legs, squeezing them tight in an effort to contain that anger.

“It's okay, Jumin. We all make mistakes,” she said, her voice pleasant. “I appreciate your honesty.”

“I realize it is an inconvenience to keep secrets in a marriage. My father wouldn't want me to be this way.”

They both knew his father was horrendous with secret-keeping, airing everything out in the open.

“Thank you,” Sarah said. If she wanted this to work, she would have to choose her words with care. “I was being pushy this morning.” There was a momentary silence between the two. 

“I suppose I should get dressed. I will see you after,” he said, his voice more pleasant than usual. It wasn't just her, was it?

Maybe it was her new demeanor that caused him to be more relaxed. Maybe Glam was right after all. Sarah watched him go into his living space and she let out a smile, thinking for the first time in a while that maybe her plans would work out again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhhh over 100 kudos! Thank you so so so so much everyone for reading and supporting this story! You don't even know how much more confident I'm getting when I write this! BTW, the reference for Sarah's outfit is part of Chanel's 2016 Fall/Winter catalog. It totally 100% screams Sarah, tbh. IDK if the link will show since I'm trying to html it, but google image "Chanel 2016 Fall" and it's literally the second image you'll see. [](http://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/fall-2016-ready-to-wear/chanel/slideshow/collection%22)


	8. Chapter 7: Day 5, 5: 11 PM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our heroine is driven into a corner...again... and she evaluates her future, both immediate and long-term while our hero muses about people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So uh, I'm American and today's been kind of a rough day so I'm publishing this now to take your minds off it. Alrighty then!

You were using an online resume guide, adding your most recent job and integrating your experiences there. You supposed you’d have to write in your manager’s name as a reference, even if everything she could say about you wasn’t positive. But your store was a revolving door of workers and you were yet another statistic. There were people than you who had left in worse ways. You once knew someone from the Home department who had her scheduled break time and never came back.

You weren’t nearly as bad as that. You ignored your crying stomach, shoving all thoughts of chicken aside and thinking about Jumin interacting with Sarah, which was a good way to induce starvation on your part. It was bad you were doing this because everyone constantly asked you if you were eating and you weren’t.

Your phone buzzed with a text from Seven.

 

**What’s up?**

 

You stared at the text. He was being friendly. You typed back.

 

**Nothing much. Is everything okay?**

 

He was quick to reply.

 

**Yup! All safe and sound! You wanna log into the chat so we can talk? Jaehee and I are on it and we’d like to speak to our fellow defender of justice, 606!**

 

You liked the new nickname.

 

**Agent 606 will report for duty!**

 

You logged into the chat where Seven and Jaehee were waiting for you.

 

**707: Heya!**

**You: Heya, Seven. Hi, Jaehee!**

**Jaehee Kang: I hope you’re doing well today. Did you have lunch?**

 

Before you could respond, Seven intervened.

 

**707: If you say you did, you’d be lying! And this goes for the two of you.**

**Jaehee Kang: I will ignore that since we are here for our daily discussion on affairs.**

**707: This is important!**

**Jaehee Kang: How could anything you say be important?**

 

You winced at Jaehee slamming Seven hard. Jaehee and Seven had a lot in common, but she wasn’t too appreciative of his sense of humor, but you got the sense she tolerated him. He used a begging emoji.

 

**707: Because we have been so concerned with catching our hacker and Daddy Han’s wedding and Yoosung’s chicken and LOLOL problem that we’re ignoring the well-being of our newest member.**

**Jaehee Kang: Please elaborate.**

**707: I have been monitoring your internet history...for safety, of course, to ensure the hacker doesn’t hack into Rika’s security system and it looks like you’ve been hiding some things from us.**

 

Jaehee used a surprised emoji. You felt your face growing hot. Was Seven throwing you under the bus? Jaehee was the last RFA member to trust you. You had worked so hard to earn her trust. You didn't want to lose it just when it began.

 

**707: It started at 09:09 AM when records show you searching for “resume” and “how to make best resume ever”, “awesome resume example”, “resume template” among other related searches I will not name here to protect your privacy.**

 

“Gee, thanks, Seven,” you said out loud. He was fanning everything out for everyone to see.

 

**Jaehee Kang: I am always adding to my resume. It is natural to seek improvement in our competitive job front.**

**707: I thought so too, but then I saw stores and other locations and positions being researched and applied for. Not to mention later at approximately 12:34 PM through 1:13 , searches including “Chinese food delivery near me” and that chicken place everyone has been going on about and then another spanning again at multiple intervals between 1:47, 2:03, 2:35 and 2:47 PM. The real piece that brought all this evidence together that Detective 707 to conclude what happened was done at 2:58 PM where you looked into your bank account. Plus even more searches for for food in ten point two minute intervals between 3:30 and now. Among other job and resume searches up until six minutes ago.**

 

You banged your head against Rika’s desk, half afraid the drawers would open up from the impact, but they were sealed shut. You didn’t know or understand how that was even possible, but Rika’s place certainly had its slew of mysteries. Speaking of mystery, Seven had completely caught you. For the second time in two hours you were caught red handed. But you were too hungry to think properly.

 

**Jaehee Kang: That is disconcerting, although it was not what I was expecting. I may live a busy schedule, but I never have to worry about not being able to afford food.**

**707: Now, culprit! Did Detective 707 crack the case? Confess and repent!**

 

You took a deep breath, honestly not knowing what Seven had in mind to do after. It was clear he was sort of joking? Or not? Maybe? You weren’t sure. It was certainly why the different sides of your mind were off at the moment. It felt empty. It was the hunger.

 

**You: Yes. You’re right, Seven...T_T You caught me red handed.**

**707: Agent...No** **_Detective_ ** **707 always gets his guy! But the new question is: is our culprit the real culprit at hand here? No one knows?**

 

He put a confused emoji, his chibi face with question marks surrounding him.

 

**Jaehee Kang: Sometimes I have to remember you have a life, too. And a job. If I may ask, what happened?**

**You: I lost my job today T_T I missed work this whole week and today was the last straw for them.**

**Jaehee Kang: I’m sorry. Then that means that we, the RFA are the real culprits...Hmm, now I find myself talking like Luciel. Nevertheless, we are the ones who have put you through this.**

**707: Technically the hacker did, but we have ourselves to blame, too! We talked a lot about chicken. Mostly the other guys. Miss Chief Assistant and I don't have the time to talk about chicken.**

**Jaehee Kang: But you certainly have the time to go off about those chips.**

**707:** **_Those_ ** **chips are Honey Buddha Chips and they are a gift from God. Don't lump them in with the basic chips Yoosung tries to bribe me with!**

**Jaehee Kang: You can't see me right now but I'm praying for you.**

**707: That's right? Pray for God Seven! GOD SEVEN! GOD SEVEN!**

**Jaehee Kang: That's not what I meant.**

**You: What is God Seven planning this time?**

**707: Everyone knows that on the 5th day, God Seven said** _“let there be chicken for the daughters of the RFA!”_ **and so in the lobbies of where our two RFA women are will be a premium bucket of chicken with a side of mashed potatoes and a bottle of cola within the next ten minutes! I didn't know if you like PhD Pepper like I do, but everyone loves a good bottle of coke!**

 

Jaehee put a tired emoji to contrast with Seven's excited one. You just stared into your screen. There was no reason for Seven to do any of this. He had gone too far.

 

**You: Seven, you don't need to do this.**

**Jaehee Kang: I agree. Luciel, this is too much for me. You can do this with her, as she needs all the help she can get.**

**You: No. I can survive just fine without you ordering chicken for me!**

 

You hated other people taking pity on you and helping, especially when it wasn't asked for. It bothered you to the core. Not to mention you wanted to die of the embarrassment that now the others would know of your financial situation, especially Jumin.

 

**707: It's our fault for going off on our problems and never considering yours.**

**You: I'm going to send it back.**

**707: No! Please don't!**

 

He sent the begging emoji again.

 

**707: Please? Plesse? Pleasee? Pls?**

 

He used heart boxes to display his feelings. It only worsened it.

 

**You: I'm not comfortable with this, Seven. I'm not saying you're creeping me out and you're doing this with good intentions but…**

**Jaehee Kang: You don't want to be seen as an opportunist.**

**707: Yes! But think of it as an apology for last night. Or as a sample of what a portion of the party is going to be like. Or as a friendly gesture from a friend to a friend.**

 

It still made you uncomfortable. But the truth was that your mind was still turned to mush by your lack of food.

 

**You: I'll take your meal. I still don't feel comfortable doing this, but I'll try to look at it sideways.**

**707: Yahoo!**

**Jaehee Kang: And what am I going to do with my bucket?**

**707: You could just eat it all, Miss Assistant Kang or share it. Sharing is caring!**

 

He used the emoji with the heart eyes.

 

**You: I'm going to have to owe you one for this, Seven.**

**707: Nahhhh. Or maybe the next time I mess with Yoosung I might have you play a role in it.**

**Jaehee Kang: We have veered off the primary issue of why we are here. We have now five confirmed party guests now that Frank has agreed to join.**

**707: Yahoo! Sounds like the party is coming along nicely!**

**Jaehee Kang: It is. And I have an idea for the next potential guest. Mr. Han spoke today about going to his cherry farm out in the fields, but his father denied that request.**

**707: Is it because of Elly? I love it when my Elly smells of cherries! Hey Juju,** _I read your message_ **and I think sending me and Elly out where we can finally be together to the cherry trees is enough to make up for what you did to my baby car!**

**Jaehee Kang: You're better off getting the car back.**

**You: So are you saying that we ought to invite one of the cherry farmers?**

**Jaehee Kang: Yes. I have the emails on my contact list. It could also cheer up Mr. Han if we get them over to our party.**

 

You liked the idea of a happy Jumin, especially with how sad he always seemed to be. He was at his dinner or going to it right now and based on his messages in the chat, he hadn't been too pleased about it. Maybe him knowing the people that made his cat happy could go to the party would help.

 

**You: Yes, please tell them to contact me. I'll get on it right away.**

**707: Have you decided what the bare minimum will be for party guests will be?**

**Jaehee Kang: Mr. Han and I decided fifteen people sound necessary for it to be a success.**

**707: That's way too little! Rika organized hundreds of people!**

**You: You sound like Yoosung.**

**707: If I wanted to sound like Yoosung, I'd be talking about my LOLOL avatar Hacker God, no 1 in the Shooting Star server and ultimate trickster! Girls, did I ever tell you that I got this week's rare drop? I'm sure I'll get a girlfriend now!**

 

Seven and Jaehee used their happy and tired emojis at the same time. You shook your head.

 

 **Jaehee Kang: Regardless of whether or not Luciel sounds like Yoosung, I need to remind everyone that we were only given a week to coordinate. Rika had months of planning, meetings, and other official businesses. I'll lay it out in terms you and Luciel will understand: think of this as** _a test run_.

**707: I love test runs! That's where I always fall in love with my babies! Hey I know! Jumin, you can come with me and bring Elly with you so we can test drive together!**

**Jaehee Kang: Anyway, now that we're starting to get our guests, it'll be my job to settle in on who goes where. Luciel will take care of security and set-up. Zen has informed me of several new venues we could use since our previous locations might be too big for this party.**

**You: What do Zen and Yoosung do?**

**707: Nothing, they're useless lololol :p**

**Jaehee Kang: Everyone here is with their use. Zen is our most social member and his work is often best utilized during the actual party rather than planning. Yoosung used to help Rika collect donations. He plays a support role, but he is very useful. Don't make Seven make you think otherwise. Once that boy gets settled in, he can become unstoppable.**

**707: Why else do you think Mr. Director keeps trying to recruit him as an intern?**

**Jaehee Kang: It's such a shame to see him waste away on that game of his. Perhaps he needs a girlfriend.**

 

The chat was usually very much joking towards Yoosung. He was the most easily dragged person in the RFA that for once the chat taking him seriously was kind of jarring. Maybe there's was something you could do to help him.

 

**You: So what does Jumin do?**

**707: Money. He throws money at people.**

**Jaehee Kang: That's a crude way to put it but he is the one who pays for the establishment and he is the biggest investor. Without his backing, we wouldn't be half of what we are today. The RFA is more successful than his cat projects. Due to this, I keep advising everyone to turn to this into a bigger fundraiser on a global scale but no one listens.**

**707: It's because you're an assistant. Assistants assist.**

**Jaehee Kang: Perhaps having Frank come to the party may help us. I will ask him if opening up chapters of the RFA throughout the world is a good idea and if he can talk about it to V and Mr. Han.**

**707: If this is a success like we all know it's going to be based on your current progress, you'll never need to apply to another job like your previous ones ever again! We would all live happily ever after!**

 

You read that sentence four times in immediate succession. It would be like a dream come true to help others and make a difference in this world. Yes, you were drifting along but this was ultimately what you wanted. The exact kind of thing you wrote about in your applications to school and work and everything. You wanted to change the world and make a meaningful impact, but you honestly had no clue _how_.

There was only so much you wanted to do, change so many lives, _make things better_ for the world.

But it was such an impossible dream to achieve, especially since you were a nobody with no name, no finances, nothing.

You did your research on Rika’s Fundraising Association when you first joined. There wasn't a single charity they didn't touch upon. Rika was very meticulous in a way that reminded you of Jumin, making deals with the truly altruistic charities both national and international.

The homeless, schools, children, single parents, the ill, the dying, the elderly, animals, fine art programs, science programs, and any other organizations, you name it, Rika's parties helped those and so much more.

It was everything you ever wanted to do.

 

**Jaehee Kang: It's true. The five confirmed guests of ours won't stop singing their praises towards you. I don't know if it's statistics or luck that we got somebody who could be just as good as Rika.**

**707: It's almost like you were chosen.**

 

Chosen. Where did you hear that one before? It boggled your mind. Didn't Unknown call you that at one point?

 

**707: Ahhh, you were the chosen one Danny! The chosen one! Gah! My arm!**

**Jaehee Kang: Ah yes, Galaxy Wars. I heard they're casting for new movies. If only Zen wanted to be in motion pictures…**

**707: Yoosung and have watched all the movies together in a marathon. After this is over, you should join us!**

**Jaehee Kang: Off topic again, Luciel. Talk about Galaxy Wars at or after the party. But please do consider working for us if the party is a success. We would be able to provide you with compensation.**

**707: !!!!!!!**

**You: ???**

**Jaehee Kang: What?**

**707: It's.**

**Jaehee Kang: I'm getting a call from the receptionist.**

**707: Chicken.**

**Jaehee Kang: Oh it's for delivery.**

**707: Time!**

 

Seven logged out of the chat without even saying goodbye, leaving you and Jaehee alone.

 

**Jaehee Kang: That boy is something else.**

**You: Did you get your chicken?**

**Jaehee Kang: The receptionist just brought it into my office. It's a large bucket. You'd best be prepared. I have some phone calls I need to make and it's going to be another long night at the office.**

**You: Alright Jaehee, I know you can do it.**

**Jaehee Kang: I know you were reluctant to accept Luciel’s offer to help, but both he and Mr. Han can be very generous people. Zen wouldn't be where he was today in part to Luciel spreading that virus. And you're already doing so much just by helping us coordinate the party.**

**You: Okay, Jaehee. I'll be sure to keep that in mind. I would be honored to become a full time coordinator if I had the opportunity.**

**Jaehee Kang: Please do consider it. I have work I need to attend to and it isn't going to be done by itself. Goodbye and have a good dinner.**

 

You logged out of the chat, noticing Seven sent you a message via text.

 

**It's safe to go downstairs to the lobby and ask for the chicken. Just make sure you take the elevators where I can see you and try to be alone. Rush hour = crowded. Crowded = more witnesses. Perfect math!**

 

You put down your phone and set it on the outside of your purse, where it was easily under your sight at all times.

This would be the first time you'd set foot outside even to the hallway today. The purse was tucked in snugly at your waist. You cautiously peeked through the door when you cracked it open.

The hallway was like your average apartment hallway, but much nicer, with vases placed between each door with real roses, giving the hallway a nice scent.

The walls were pure white and so clean looking. It was actually so much nicer than your apartment. If you weren't living in constant fear, you would have loved to actually live here.

Both the elevator and the halls were empty. It was strange since you figured it was the right time for people to arrive from work? Maybe they were all stuck in traffic?

Either way, you looked over your shoulders while inside the elevator, waiting for it to reach the first floor. You looked over your shoulders, left, then right and made eye contact with the camera.

You wanted to wave your hand and say hi to Seven but instead your shyness took over and you looked away, awkwardly tapping your feet instead.

The bell dinged and you stepped out. A group of people walked into the elevator, clearly coming home from work. They looked like your average person.

The lobby was crowded, at least compared to what you were used to. There were high school kids in uniforms sitting together, doing homework and just outside the entryway was a small child and her mother talking to another grown woman. Despite these last five days being the oddest you had ever gone through, it was nice seeing life still went on.

Your eyes hovered to where the person sitting behind the desk was. You spoke to them only once before, when asking if this was the correct location Unknown had specified. Would they remember you? You were wearing the exact same outfit as before so maybe.

“How can I help you?” he said.

“Uh...My friend ordered me a bucket of chicken. I think the name they said was Luciel Choi.”

“Such an odd name, but there's no way I'd forget a name like that!” His words made you give a small smile as you thought about the naming guru Yoosung suggested yesterday. He had taken kindly to you saying Luciel Choi was a unique name and now you had given him yours to judge.

“It's a very unique name, isn't it? He's my friend.” The receptionist pulled out a large bag, where you could make out a bucket, some containers, and that free bottle of soda.

“Yes, yes it is! You have a good dinner!”

“You too!” you said, instantly regretting what just came out of your mouth. You went red, scurrying back to the elevator like a rat, hating yourself for being so awkward.

The elevator was empty, just like Luciel specified, but you saw the mother and daughter heading your way and your stomach dropped.

Seven said you had to be alone. With great reluctance, you tried (and probably failed) to pretend they didn't exist and you pressed the close doors button.

The doors closed right when the mom was just two feet away. “Oh no! Sorry!” you said just as the bell dinged and rose to the fourteenth floor, which continued to be empty.

You ran back to Rika's door, quickly pressing the passcode and letting yourself in, feeling both the heat of embarrassment and the danger you felt from last night.

You set the bag down on the dining room table and did your inspection, making sure no one had arrived during the ten minutes you were out.

It was safe.

Your stomach growled without end as the smell of chicken permeated around the room. You popped the lid off and grabbed the first one your hands could find as you went to town on it. It was delicious and addicting. You popped off more lids, stuffing mashed potatoes and a biscuit to your face, your stomach agreeing with what was going on. You didn't care about getting chicken oil all over your face, just that your appetite was satiated.

“Thank you, Seven!” you said, your mouth full. This was the good stuff and you could see why Yoosung had paid attention in class today.

 _Good thing Mr. Trust fund kid can't see you eating like that,_ your mind said.

_Good to see you guys are coming back. Dude this stuff is delicious as hell. I hope I can make them come to the party._

_You think Jaehee is stuffing her face as well?_

_Uh yeah. Definitely!_

You decided to stop a few minutes later, reasoning that it would be better for you to save up on food for tomorrow. You still had enough chicken to last a few days and you were glad that problem was over and done with.

You stood by the window and looked outside the window at the weakened sun. The sky was still blue and beautiful and you looked down at the traffic below. It was definitely rush hour outside and you were in the heart of downtown. It reminded you that life definitely went on as the cars stood still and beeped at one another as you tried to zone out and forget all about this day and all of its troubles.

* * *

 Driver Kim beeped the car at someone, breaking Jumin out of his reverie as he stared at the buildings above, wondering which building was the one that contained Rika’s apartment. They had been stuck in traffic for the past hour and a half, except for Jumin it felt like much longer.

Being stuck in traffic with Sarah seated on the opposite side was the very last thing he wanted and although he admitted to the tie she gave him being no more, he could tell she was bugged by it, despite her playing it cool.

It took an actually cool person to know if someone was playing it cool and Sarah definitely wasn't.

It didn't help she wasn't doing what she usually did and made small talk with him, forcing him to be trapped in this uncomfortable silence. He didn't mind silence with others, but it was different when he was with V or Rika and even Assistant Kang, where neither party would speak and everything was fine.

 _Do you think it would be the same with her?_ his mind asked. He pictured her sitting nearby in as close proximity as Sarah currently was to him, eyes on a book during this imaginary scenario. _She did say she liked reading, do you think she'd read the book Rika gave me?_

He liked the idea of loaning her books. Maybe Rika had books stored in her apartment but who knew if she read all of them already. Maybe she would enjoy a newer book.

Jumin squirmed in his seat as Driver Kim beeped again at the traffic. Jumin inched forward, lowering the window separating them.

“Driver Kim, what is going on?” he asked.

“Radio says there was an eight car pileup a couple blocks away. Traffic is stop and go, but I'm afraid we keep getting cut off.”

Jumin dreaded this dinner, but he wanted to get it over with and be rid of this ill feeling, not to mention he had enough of being this close to Sarah for this amount of time. “Driver Kim, I am giving you permission to be aggressive.” He knew all about Driver Kim’s past as a legendary racer. His son had taken up his mantle much to his chagrin but if all went well, he'd be making a stable six figure sum under his family's employment in a few years' time.

“Mr. Han, are you certain?”

Jumin made eye contact with him, eyeing him in such a way as to be clear that he didn't want to be stuck with Sarah any longer. Jumin rolled the window back up.

“What did he say?’ Sarah said.

“He's going to try and get us to dinner.”

“We're very late,” she said. Jumin didn't like responding to the obvious and instead crossed his legs, taking his phone out and reading the day's chats that went on without him.

Luciel had bought both his assistant and the girl fried chicken, but it was nowhere near as interesting as the revelation that she was now unemployed due to the recent circumstances. She was reluctant to accept help from Seven and yet she was being modest in her accomplishments in inviting the guests.

Jumin felt a stab of something familiar with how it was Luciel who managed to get a piece of information from her like that while Jumin himself couldn't even get her to say something. The closest he had felt to this was the way Rika would look at V whenever they went out together.

He continued to read the chat, shaking his head at Luciel’s asinine suggestion of even taking Elizabeth the 3rd to a car dealership or the cherry farm, which made him aghast. Assistant Kang did the speaking for him, truly making good use of her job as his assistant. He would have the car back fully paid. Jumin would handle the tax issues himself.

The ride wasn't ending anytime soon, so Jumin went back to earlier conversations, especially the ones Zen was in. It was always fun to see the pathetic ways Zen would try and insult Jumin. The boy had no tact. But this conversation was different.

 

**ZEN: However, if Seven were to be right, I can't see anyone sane crushing on that trust fund kid. I would tell you and all other women to stay away from him. He's married and while Glam and Sarah may seem airheaded, they would destroy you in a heartbeat if you messed with them. And it's morally wrong too.**

 

He didn't understand in the world Zen was insinuating. Luciel was only joking the way he always did. If anything, it was the other men in the chat who flirted. But in this particular case, it was clear to Jumin that Zen wasn't flirting.

 

**ZEN: One of my actor friends used to work part time as a waiter in a really nice luxury restaurant where Glam and some friends went. He mixed up her order and Glam got so upset that she got him fired that same night.**

 

Zen's story matched with the pettiness Jumin knew Glam was capable of. He continued reading.

 

  **ZEN: My friend was unable to find jobs in the restaurant business after that because Glam trashed him and made him unhirable. She made** **threats that she would go on television and put them out of business for hiring incompetent staff members.**

 

A rhythmic noise distracted Jumin from his reading. He looked over at Sarah, going between her phone and looking outside the window, her shoes tapping the floor. Sarah looked horrendous in her outfit, as though she were an oversaturated watermelon. Jumin knew all about fashion thanks to his mother, but he was aware that classic name brands like Shanel didn't always make miracles happen. It was a waste of thousands of dollars. Zen was able to get this right at least: Sarah was an airhead, but Jumin knew that even when you were an airheaded serpent, you still were a serpent.

But to Jumin, this line struck him as evident: _But the point is that that was just small-time compared to what Glam can do._ Glam was the more poisonous of the two. Even someone like Zen was able to see that. The next part caused Jumin to scoff.

 

**ZEN: That's why I wouldn't tell you to get closer to Jumin. I'm saying this as a friend who doesn't want you to get hurt. These are people you want to stay far away from.**

 

Zen didn't have the right to tell her who to befriend. And what made Jumin any different than the other RFA members? He didn't know or understand the facts as to their talks, which honestly sobered Jumin in ways he didn't think were possible. But it was like Zen in failing to do research and just saying things that came to mind. Jumin’s fingers gripped the phone resting between his hands even tighter.

Then the car started moving properly again.

“Thank goodness,” Sarah said.

“Agreed,” Jumin said, moving away from the RFA app and onto other apps that would distract him from the pain of thinking about tonight's dinner, adding cat ears to a blurry photo he snapped of Driver Kim. He wondered if she would like having the cute cat ears filter added onto her head and what her reaction would be.

It would probably be cute.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was my first chapter where the chat and situations were 100% of my own creation. I'm a little nervous and curious to know if I managed to keep everyone present in this chapter in character. Thank you so much for everyone who has given kudos and commented, any feedback is very much appreciated!!!
> 
> Oh yeah, and I totally had fried chicken for lunch today. A+ comfort food.


	9. Chapter 8: Day 5, 6:58PM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our heroine muses about love and marriage, while our hero avoids talk of the future.

“There,” you said, sending the email to Jumin’s cherry farmer. Your intuition said the answer to his question about cherry stems was green, but you did extra research just to make sure you compiled the perfect response. Jumin’s happiness was on the line here. You shook your head. No, Jumin was unattainable. Even the one person who managed to figure out your infatuation with him was calling you out on it.

 _Zen’s right! Now keep working on those emails. So much is at stake here!_ the rational side said. It was true, your dreams were newly reignited again. You had a sense of purpose once more. Except…

 _Dude, wasn’t what Seven did kinda douchey on his part?_ the other side said. _It’s great he gave us good food but he essentially all but doxxed you to the chat._

Speaking of, you wanted to take a break from emails now that your queue had run dry and found Yoosung once again on the chat.

“Yay Yoosung!” you said, missing him a little.

 

**Yoosung☆: I’m hereeeeee!**

**You: Yooyoo!**

**Yoosung☆: Is that a nickname for me?**

**You: Yes! Did you eat?**

**Yoosung☆: So cute! I saw Seven got you dinner. I was out having chop steak with my friends and I wanted to log in here before going on LOLOL.**

**You: Was it any good?**

**Yoosung☆: We split everything together. It was nice reading in the earlier chat that you would do the same back in college. Who knew we had something in common?!**

 

Yoosung didn’t know it, but you two were actually very similar. Except you weren’t in a position to just lay it out on video games and being sad.

 

 **Yoosung☆: I’m happy that both you and Jaehee got chicken! But I don’t think it was right for Seven to just tell everyone your own personal issues. I know he did it so that we could understand how self absorbed we were being** **but I don’t think that was the way to do it.**

**You: So what do you think he should have done, Yoosung? I’m curious.**

**Yoosung☆: He should have called you or texted you. It just wasn’t right. I’m used to having Seven prank me so the way I see it, he was doing it to be good, but Seven has a funny way of seeing things sometimes.**

 

You agreed with him, especially the rebel side of your mind. It was weird knowing it was aligned with Yoosung in that way. He put a neutral emoji to emphasize his point.

 

**You: I am kind of upset at him. But the chicken was so good! But the embarrassment! Ugh! It’s an issue I haven’t completely made up my mind about.**

**Yoosung☆: I know. It’s funny, I wanted to talk about my dinner. One of my friends has been going out with a girl for a year and he already has picked out a ring for her. Who the hell gets married in their 20s these days?**

**You: Jumin, obviously.**

**Yoosung☆: He was too young. I know I’m much younger but even I think it was too much even for an arranged marriage. Even my friend, who has feelings for this girl, was asking us about if it’s wrong if he gets married so young.**

**You: I think it’s definitely more important to love who you’re getting married to rather than when you’re getting married. Your friend might have a point.**

**Yoosung☆: I don’t know. I’ve never been in love! I don’t like the idea of an arranged marriage! It doesn’t make sense for someone else to choose who you’ll spend the rest of your life with. I want to marry someone I love. I just haven't found her yet!**

 

He predictably put a crying emoji.

 

**Yoosung☆: But all of this has me thinking. Seven exposed you to us which made me think about the things we don’t talk about. And marriage. Jumin never talks about Sarah or about his feelings on the wedding.**

**You: Well, Jumin’s not the kind of person to express himself in that way. It’s a real possibility he uses this chat to escape whatever stress he’s facing. I think it’s up to him to talk about it when he feels ready. But I also agree with you, Yoosung. It’s really important that you should marry someone you love.**

**Yoosung☆: Right? No matter how important money is, if you don’t feel love, how can you live with the other person? But I’m really worried about him…**

 

So were you. It was very clear to you he was depressed. You liked the person he was on the phone and on the chat, but by this point it was clear it was a fraction of himself. You really didn’t know anything about Sarah other than what the tabloids said, which as Zen pointed out, were all suspiciously positive.

Maybe it was time to do some digging. But Seven would know. Then Seven could expose you once again. Maybe you should indeed have a sit down with him about this kind of thing.

 

**You: We don’t know much about Sarah. Or at least I do.**

**Yoosung☆: She’s vain, to begin with. Not like Zen, who at the end of the day, is a good person and will mother you around like a hen. Every time I see her, I get a funny taste in my mouth. But she and Glam have the reporters under their feet. Except for the Fair Reporters Association.**

**You: Do they dislike her?**

**Yoosung☆: It’s not that. They don’t like or dislike anyone. They only write fair and fact-based articles. During my one week in the English Newspaper Club, they came to visit my school and had a talk with us about fair reporting. It was the only interesting part.**

**You: Why don’t we invite them, if you have their email? The more the merrier and maybe they can write about us.**

**Yoosung☆: Wow!! I’m helping! Yay! >_< I’ll send them an email!**

**You: Jaehee said you’re very helpful!**

 

He typed up a bashful emoji, his chibi face all red. It was definitely one of his cutest ones.

 

**Yoosung☆: I’m not, really. All I did was do whatever Rika told me and she did all the work. I’m just a temporary assistant, but I actually got rare praise from Jaehee.**

**You: Jaehee doesn’t really say things unless she totally means it.**

**Yoosung☆: !!! I just got called from my LOLOL guildmaster!? There must be a rare monster out there!**

**You: Well, don’t keep him waiting! I mean, I rather you wouldn't but...**

**Yoosung☆: Yup! Superman Yoosung to the rescue! See you later!**

 

There was something about Yoosung that made you smile. Maybe it was his innocence. Either way, it was nice to have a simple chat with someone that didn’t involve the hacker or anything with high stakes...other than the subject of marriage.

Marriage was such a weird topic. You never really fantasized about it or gave it much thought. First things first was making sure your life was stable, then you’d be able to find love and get married. That was the way things worked.

You turned around in Rika’s office chair, your eyes finding Rika’s black binder, although empty, was a large enough binder to indicate it was once richly used. Upon closer inspection, it looked worn, especially around the edges.

It reminded you that Rika was engaged to V and V was the same age as Jumin and had grown up with him. How long were they engaged? How long did he wait before he decided to propose to her? When was the wedding set for? Did she die just before the wedding?

V was a mystery to you and each person in the chat saw him differently. Seven revered him. Zen was grateful. Yoosung hated him with an almost irrational passion. Jumin saw him as one his best friends, something that he clearly didn’t take lightly. And Jaehee...was just there, really.

Either way, you wondered what was V's deal. It was clear from the chat last night that he loved her, even though Yoosung saw nothing but his own anger. Could this have brought up his own stance on age and marriage? It would make sense for Yoosung to hate something just because a person he had a grudge against liked it or did it. If V liked hot sauce, then Yoosung was the exact kind of person who would openly avoid it and tell people that only bad people ate hot sauce.

Your fingers grazed Rika’s empty binder.

The RFA had so many mysteries and you wondered if you would ever know all of them.

* * *

Glam opened and shut the prongs of her three ring binder, showing Sarah and Chairman Han a page of it before they passed it along to the reporters. Of course Glam would never make this a simple dinner, bringing all sorts of supplies with them as though they were going to war. It had been over an hour since Jumin and Sarah arrived. He had locked arms with her to shield her from reporters, but to also assure they were fine.

He didn’t care about the idea of scandal, but the company was worth everything to him. All of his employees, all good people with lives and a family, were at stake solely based on his behavior around this woman. Things were much less complicated before his father sprung this up on him. It was much easier to avoid scandal by doing nothing but your job, showing the person you truly were, not this fabrication like Glam and Sarah relied on.

Jumin’s mind once again fell over to Zen, who was in a glamorous industry and yet he was himself, allowing whatever talents he had speak for themselves. Jumin genuinely wanted someone with a face as graceful as Zen’s to model with Elizabeth the 3rd in his products. It was a real shame that Zen always rejected his offers.

He looked at his empty plate, once filled with chicken parmigiana for old time’s sake. He was taken by surprise when he saw it on the menu, much less for a restaurant that specialized in serving seafood as one of their “alternative dishes”. His father was just as surprised he made that his order, informing Glam and Sarah that it had been nearly two decades since his son ordered it. Of course, Jumin had it with red wine and she was right: they did go excellently well together.

“So yes, in short, we still haven’t decided on a shortlist for my dress,” Glam said to the reporters, showing them the sketches of wedding dresses. This was a much more intimate interview, with only two reporters that were handpicked by his father and Glam (really Glam) and a single cameraman.

“I love the Shanel one. So classy and it's such a classic,” the reporter Jumin dubbed Reporter A said.

“I disagree, the Nolce and Jabbana one is a modern tour de force! It’ll be a trendsetter for brides of the future!” Reporter B said. They were lucky to even be here, in his opinion. Had it been him somehow coordinating this, he would have brought in something like the Fair Reporter’s Association. Jumin respected them and enjoyed the fact that their initials were an anagram of the RFA.

“You’ve been rather quiet, Mr. Han,” Reporter A said. The room grew even quieter. It took Jumin a few seconds to notice they were talking to him and not his father.

“Are you referring to me?”

“Yes!” the other reporter said, laughing. Jumin remained stoic, finding no reason to laugh.

“I have nothing of value to say on these matters. I am just here to support my father and his soon-to-be wife on the wedding.” He felt his father’s eyes staring down from the other side of the roundtable.

“You and Sarah have been married for three months. Do you have any future plans? A family in mind…?” Reporter B asked. Jumin wanted to scoff at such nonsense and to shoo this person away simply for saying it with a singsong tone as if he were egging him on. But he didn’t have the power to do this.

Being powerless was something Jumin could never get used to.

“My future is with C&R,” Jumin said simply. “There are—”

“Maybe someday!” Sarah said in that same nonsensical tone the reporter just did. For someone who was pretending to be as aloof as him, it all went out the window after they arrived. She was seated next to him, but seated so close that their legs were always touching and her foot would “accidentally” graze his.

Sarah’s hand had grazed his, her warm knuckles barely touching him. Her hand moved even closer, holding on to his. Except he didn't feel anything close to being united with her or comforted. This felt staged, mechanical on her part. Sarah lacked genuineness even in her actions.

Jumin couldn’t believe he had to spend the rest of his life with this woman. But still, he resolved that he wouldn’t be his father, divorcing her for whatever woman he saw. That was his sole determination in making it to the end, whenever that was.

“Glam and I have been thinking perhaps to let these two on a break from managing sometime after the wedding. We’d love to dote on grandkids!”

“Maybe even have our kids grow up together!” Glam said, her voice raising in excitement. “Wouldn’t it be cute?”

“It sure would!” he said.

Jumin’s mind went back to the relaxation classes he took a long, long time ago. He learned to be discreet about showing anything and this conversation was making it damn near impossible for him to keep going.

“Whichever way would help C&R grow, I would do anything to strengthen it,” he said, looking at Sarah, who could hardly contain a smile.

“Now what about the caterers? Is Sugar Round going to do anything?”

“Oh yes!” Sarah said! “We have all kinds of cupcakes, all gluten-free of course…” Sarah went off about her food company, talking about the cupcakes and imported chocolate treats from Switzerland that were made from her own designs.

Jumin waited fifteen minutes to excuse himself. He had two options: the bathroom or the balcony. This was, of course, one of the the city’s most exclusive restaurants, but he knew he would get more privacy in the bathroom, which would be large and spacious, not to mention somewhere where he could pretend to fix his suit.

The bathroom had light jazz music playing through small speakers in the corner and smelled of freesia. There was a red and gold sofa on the left side next to a table filled with grooming supplies and mints.

His fingers had hit speed-dial the precise second he locked the door. This was very much unlike the last time he called her, where he spent three breaks debating on calling her. This time, he had no questions or lingering doubts otherwise.

She picked up on the fifth ring. Jumin didn’t believe in favorites, but he was always partial to the number five.

“It’s me. I couldn’t help but call,” he said, keeping his voice even. He didn’t know her that well, still, despite feeling a sense of trust with her.

“Hey Jumin! I was just handling some emails! I hope you’re doing okay!” Her voice was so enthusiastic and pleasant to hear. It was the kind of voice that Jumin found a lot of depth and character in. It wasn’t often he found people with that kind of voice. Once again, his mind flitted to Rika.

“I’m doing as well as this dinner could offer. I can tell you with full certainty that to my surprise, chicken parmigiana was on the menu. I ordered it without a second thought.” He waited for her reaction.

“Wow. You know, I thought you were the kind of person to carefully evaluate what you wanted.”

“You’d be right.” She had him down perfectly.

“But either way, I have to know if you had it with the wine. I’m dying to know, actually.”

“Of course,” he said, his voice veering towards a casual tone, one he only set aside for V and Elizabeth.

“And...How was it?” She was excited and barely about to hide it. Maybe she didn’t want to hide it.

“It was an excellent combination. You do have a trustworthy palette. We will have to expand this further.”

She paused. “So did I pass the test?”

“A test? I didn’t realize this was a test.”

“No, I mean this was a trial run. Then you’ll trust me to try other things too from now on?”

He nodded, forgetting she wasn’t there. She was locked away somewhere in this city. She could very well be in the closest building, or on the other side of the city. “Yes.”

“Aww, yes! I have a couple things in mind. This is gonna be great!”

Jumin didn’t want to say he was partially...not scared, but _wary_ that he would be going outside of the norm of having personal Michelin starred chefs and balanced meals. “I look forward to our endeavors.” He debated for a moment on whether or not he wanted to express his wariness. He decided it was for the best. “I will admit I am cautious of what you might possibly have in mind.”

“You’re in good hands! We’ll start small and basic, all right? Nothing to fear.”

“I’m not scared.”

“I know. Jumin Han doesn’t feel fear. He brings fear. And besides, I expected you to say you were going to be cautious about this anyway. You wouldn’t be you.” Jumin didn’t realize he could be seen as predictable to someone. If anything, that unsettled him.

“I wanted to bring up the subject of being cautious. I am fairly relieved that you were able to pick up both times.” Jumin paused, wondering how to phrase this. “So... I was wondering if you could constantly have your phone by your side. Add my number to speed dial and call me in case of an emergency.” It was exactly what he did earlier this afternoon, placing her number on speed dial in case there was one. And this situation clearly was one by his definition. Jumin’s eyes found the mirror, finding an uncharacteristic drop of sweat over his brow. He wiped it off. He was tempted to lounge on the sofa and take his jacket off, but that would cause him to feel too relaxed and he'd stay here longer.

“Done! But would it be okay to call you late at night? Last night was kind of an exception and—”

“You can call me anytime. I mind chitchat, but with you I don’t find it pointless. If anything I find myself being curious of what you have to say, even if it is pointless.”

“Pointless? I’ve said pointless things to you?” She was in a state of shock.

“We did talk about science fiction and romance movies.”

“That’s not being pointless. That’s called ‘getting-to-know-you’, Jumin. Nothing is pointless if there’s a purpose behind it,” she said, her voice assertive. It was a far cry from that first day when he called her while being stuck in traffic with Driver Kim.

“That could go either way,” he said, thinking of Sarah and Glam. They lived with purpose, but their purpose was never true or sincere. There was always a self-serving motivation behind them.

“It’s something my family would tell me growing up. I was always shy and awkward...Hell, I still am, to be honest,” she said, laughing in the middle, “but it was a way for me to speak up and say what was on my mind. I think they said it so that I wouldn’t be afraid to ask dumb questions in math so that I could get better marks.”

Jumin found himself amused by her anecdote. It brought out a laugh in him. He hoped Assistant Kang was making as many calls as possible to V so that he could send his bodyguards to her, maybe even visit himself and one hundred percent guarantee she was safe.

He looked at his watch. Eight minutes had flown by, much faster than it had throughout the evening being with Glam, his father, and Sarah. “I need to go. I was calling to check up on your safety,” he said. “Father and the rest are waiting for me.”

“Okay. You have a good evening Jumin.”

“I hope you're enjoying your evening as well. Bye.”

Jumin tucked the phone in his pocket, eyeing himself once again in the mirror, wiping away even more sweat that had started to drop. It was the heat of the room. For a five star restaurant, the air conditioning in their bathroom was abysmal. Jumin fixed his tie for another minute and braced himself for even more pointless banter between Glam, Sarah, and the reporters.

He knew she said that nothing is pointless if there was a purpose behind it, but he couldn’t find himself elaborating why he disagreed. Maybe she wouldn’t understand. Maybe it would break her if she did and she didn’t deserve to know such people like them existed. Zen was right and had every reason to want to protect her from them,

But Zen and the rest of the RFA protecting her from Jumin himself felt wrong and he couldn’t explain why. It was yet another mystery his mind had about the girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not gonna lie, this was one of my favorite chapters to write so far and I did it in one sitting (it's been so long since I got into a writing flow). Oh, and one more thing, I'm replaying Jaehee's route for her last CG and I'm noticing that Yoosung says the exact opposite on his stance on people in their 20s marrying compared to what he says in Jumin's route. So which is it, Yoosung? 
> 
> Anyway please let me know your thoughts, I'd be more than happy to listen!


	10. Chapter 9: Day 5, 8:42 PM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our hero has a confrontation and our heroine is at odds.

This was the night that would never end.

Up until this moment, Jumin thought no night could go as slowly as his wedding night, but this evening was giving that one a real run for its money.

Jumin felt like a child dragged away to a boring event and began to feel something akin to hope when dessert was finally ordered.

But three desserts later, Sarah and Glam still made conversation with these insufferable reporters with his own father joining along. There was no end in sight.

This was the true meaning of pointless. There was so much he could have been doing in the office alone and instead he was wasting it here.

Hearing her voice only helped for so long. It brought back his energy and the wherewithal to stand this, but his patience was wearing thin.

Sarah decided she wanted to throw subtlety out of the window and her hand found his on the table for everyone to see, the direct skin-to-skin contact searing through him like fire, as though he were cattle waiting to be branded, except he was already branded, wasn't he?

“For a match that was proposed by your father and your mentor, you two are a match made in heaven,” Reporter B said. “Just fabulous and the face of the future.”

“How about a kiss for us? It would most certainly bring out fans a hope for stars and romance,” Reporter A said.

“Absolutely not,” Jumin said, barely understanding of what the hell that reporter even meant by that comment. They crossed a line a long time ago by talking about children but having to perform like animals at a zoo was enough. “I don't have the…”

Sarah got closer to Jumin, her lips meeting his without a second thought, one hand resting where his tie was, the other on the back of his head. She tasted of sweets, making Jumin feel nausea at the sickly sweet taste of her mouth. Despite her being in the line of sight of the cameras and completely obscuring the camera's vantage point of his face, he could still see the flashing.

This wasn't their first kiss, but it was definitely the worst. After his moment of shock, Jumin shoved her away.

“Thank you for that _display_ ,” he said, feeling a new level of dislike for his wife, “but I must be off.” He stood up from his seat and walked off without another word.

He left the restaurant and into the main area of the floor’s room. He pressed the button to summon the elevator and waited for the elevator to rise from below.

“Jumin,” his father’s voice said.

Jumin turned around. “I played along for as long as I could but that's as far as I will go,” he said cooly.

“You must go back or they will get the wrong idea.”

Jumin couldn't help but scoff like a child. “Wrong idea? You sold me, your son, to a no-name company because a woman you were dating made a mere suggestion. If that's not the wrong idea, I don't know what else would qualify for that.”

“The marriage did wonders for C&R and the publicity was all good. You're the one being unappreciative and not knowing a good thing when it happens.”

“I can't believe you right now, Father. I've always respected you in every way, except for your womanizing, but this is too much. You're being manipulated by these gold-digging women and I won't stand it any longer. I was forced to make a mistake, but you still have time to see it for yourself.”

The elevator bell dinged, leaving Chairman Han speechless at his son's outburst. Jumin couldn't handle this any longer as he walked into the elevator, pressing the close door button to his father's stunned face. All of this brought him to a boiling point.

Jumin Han always thought he was so logical and cool headed, but for the first time since the wedding, he felt something sparking underneath him. Maybe it was the kiss or all of the insincerity he had seen throughout the night, and now that he was exposed to sincerity again, he couldn't tolerate it any longer.

“Mr Han?” Driver Kim said with a confused look to his face. “Where is Sarah?”

“Sarah can find her way back home with Glam. Now drive me home.” Jumin sat down and crossed his arms, shaking his head, hating where the night had taken him.

* * *

You shook your head, none of Rika's clothes really looked good on you as you stared into her body length mirror. You had only had your sweater dress and leggings and they were so overwashed that you would have to buy a similar outfit.

Rika was so much shorter and petite than you were, only her oversized pajamas fitting you and it was clear they were never to rarely worn. It felt weird having to wear her clothes but you had no other choice at the moment as your regular clothes were spinning in the laundry along with Rika's towels.

You weren't really in a position to go shopping, but you wanted to go back home and get a bag full of clothes and your makeup.

Goodness only knew how you would get ready for the party and what dress you'd have to wear but you figured that by then you'd have to go back home at least once to get your clothes.

Maybe you could ask Seven if you could go back home during rush hour just to get clothes and your supplies. If he let you go to the lobby once maybe lightning would strike twice.

You settled in bed once again. You weren't going to answer any more emails today anyway and it was time to chill. You logged into the app to see if anyone else was online.

Zen was there.

 

**ZEN: Hey babe, how was the dinner?**

**You: Good, actually! Not exactly the healthiest thing but it was delicious.**

**ZEN: That's good to see my girl eating, at least. I didn't know it would be a problem. Speaking of....WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL, SEVEN? What is your damage?**

 

Of course Zen would be on Yoosung's side of this.

 

**ZEN: Why would you expose her like this? What if we exposed your name, job, and everything about you?**

**You: That's kinda much…**

**ZEN: If I see you again, the beast within** **_will come out._ ** **That IS a threat.**

 

You couldn't believe you wanted to defend Seven when you were still having mixed reactions about this. But before you logged in the chat, Jaehee logged in.

 

**Jaehee Kang: Is Mr. Han not here?**

**You: No**

**ZEN: No**

 

The responses were typed at the same time. Jaehee responded with a surprised face.

 

**Jaehee Kang: This isn't good. I thought I'd find him here in the messenger.**

 

Jaehee logged out just as quickly as she logged in.

 

**ZEN: What was that?**

**You: Last time I checked, he was at dinner.**

**ZEN: He did say he was going to a dinner…**

 

You didn't want to tell Zen of your earlier conversation with Jumin. You were definitely getting more and more casual and bold with him. Once you threw out whatever you knew about him, talking to him became as easy as breathing.

And he had the chicken parmigiana, to boot. You couldn't believe he had ordered it because of you and how it happened without question. You also couldn't stop thinking of how much of a gap moe he was. You were practically smiling the whole time at the revelation.

You listened to him and put him on speed dial earlier in the evening, just in case.

 

**You: Yeah...well this derailed...I'm worried now.**

**ZEN: I wanted to post a selfie of my most recent workout, too…**

 

Jaehee logged back in.

 

**Jaehee Kang: While I would want to see a prized selfie of Zen's, I'm afraid my boss has gone missing. His father won't stop calling me and Mr. Han is ignoring all my calls.**

**You: Should I try calling him?**

**Jaehee Kang: It's probably no use. Knowing Mr. Han, he will eventually log into the chat.**

 

You could feel Zen practically side-eyeing you when you offered to call.

 

**Jaehee Kang: Ever since the wedding, I have been working nonstop even more. When will I catch a break?**

**ZEN: Just ask for a holiday? You of all people deserve it.**

**Jaehee Kang: If I take a holiday, the work will** double, no _quadruple._ **I hope I'm not fired for him leaving the dinner early.**

**You: Why would you get fired?**

**Jaehee Kang: You don't know Mr. Chairman. I actually was under review when Sarah and Glam went through HR, found my address, and interrogated me in the middle of the night when I was supposed to be asleep.**

**ZEN: WTF**

**You: Huh? When was this?**

**Jaehee Kang: The day before the engagement was announced to the papers. They barged into my apartment without an invitation and asked me all sorts of questions.**

**ZEN: You never said any of this, Jaehee? °♧○[●♡#♤○◇•}**

 

Seven's algorithm covered Zen's string of obscenities. You could say words like "shit", but apparently the chat would censor stronger words. Yoosung offhandedly told you in a phone call once that Seven's faith caused him to censor words like “damn” and “hell” once upon a time, but Rika told him that the members of the RFA were not happy with this so he was forced to change it.

 

**You: What did they ask you?**

**Jaehee Kang: They pulled articles of meetings where I was photographed next to Mr. Han and asked if we were an item. I told them the truth: Mr. Han cannot stand to hear my voice outside the office.**

**ZEN: But you have a good voice.**

**Jaehee Kang: Thank you. But they also asked if Mr. Han had a girlfriend and...I don't know if I should go on at the moment.**

**You: That's your choice.**

**ZEN: I would. I didn't know they crossed a line with you like that, putting you under review. What the actual ☆♤◇♧■♧¤¿¡**

 

There was a long pause between the chat. Zen, of course, wanted to know. You didn't have his and Jaehee's relationship totally have pinned down. She was a fan and he barely recognized it, somehow due to a strange sense of humility on his part.

But they regarded each other as friends. Maybe if Jaehee wasn't swamped with work, you could see them getting even closer, possibly as close as Seven and Yoosung seemed to be. You couldn't see them as a couple, for whatever reason, but he cared about her in the way you saw Seven caring about you.

**Jaehee Kang: ...To be honest, both Mr. Han and I saw this as trivial and irrelevant when we had a bigger fish to fry. But your story about your actor friend was very reminiscent of what almost happened to me.**

**You: I'm glad you won out.**

**Jaehee Kang: It was of no concern. Glam was upset she was removed from my home after I told Sarah that there was a zero chance the cat would be removed. I wrote her a post-it note of recommended items to keep to maintain her clothes fur free and how to wash them out.**

**ZEN: That was it? They didn't like the cat and they got upset you kicked them out when _they_ were the ones who barged in uninvited?**

**You: That's not right.**

**ZEN: But it only reinforces my point.**

 

You felt his words stab at you. That wasn't directed at himself for being correct, they were aimed at _you._ It wouldn't be good at all if Zen found out about your recent phone conversation with him.

Your attraction to Jumin was turning into something like a drug. You were doing fine when focusing on other tasks and following what Zen would tell you, but he was never too far from your thoughts.

And then when he was in the chat or on the phone,  the attraction would hit in tidal waves. You never wanted your chats to end, his voice so comforting and he would say these things to you. Did he even realize how adorable he sounded?

Jaehee logged out again for the second time.

 

**You: I know, Zen…**

 

Jumin's name appeared in the chat. You felt bad for Jaehee, who had logged out just seconds ago.

 

**You: Jumin! Jaehee was looking for you.**

**Jumin Han: I have a question for you…**

**You: Alright.**

 

You didn't know what Jumin would even say. There was something off about him even with his non-greeting. Usually he was polite towards you.

 

**Jumin Han: What do you think of a father who's tied up his son and the company in a little package? And sold them off to save himself?**

**You: What? Did something happen?**

**Jumin Han: Answer the question.**

 

You felt yourself growing hot at his hostility. Jumin was _never_ this way towards you. What in the world had happened?

 

**ZEN: Don't talk to her like that.**

**Jumin Han: Be quiet.**

**You: It sounds like…**

 

You couldn't think of anything, but Jumin and Zen waited for your response.

 

**You: It sounds like you're being used. Like a pawn.**

**Jumin Han: Precisely. My father hasn't made a single good rational decision regarding women in decades, but these days, he's making the worst mistakes of his life.**

 

Jaehee logged back in.

 

**Jaehee Kang: !!! Mr. Han! You left dinner early and you won't return any of my calls. We're in a tricky situation here.**

**Jumin Han: It's his fault we are in a tricky situation. I saw the chats from earlier. Yoosung says he doesn't know why I don't talk about my marriage with Sarah. Well, I was** forced to marry Sarah to save my father and my company from scandal and now I'm forced to pretend and be a puppet so I can keep saving this company from his mistakes. **But I will carry this.** ** _I am not my father._** **I will see this through to the end and show that I am the better person.**

**Jaehee Kang: I understand how you feel, but your father is quite angry at you.**

**Jumin Han:** I don't care. Let him be angry. **I don't want to talk to my father for the time being.**

**Jaehee Kang: We need to talk. Log off the messenger, please, Mr. Han.**

 

The two of them logged out. You couldn't believe the chat right now.

 

**ZEN: Yikes.**

**You: What happened?**

**ZEN: Mr. Director is** never **like this. I can't believe I'm saying this, but even I'm concerned for that dude.**

**You: Me too, Zen. What should we do?**

**ZEN: It's clear he needs a moment to himself.**

**You: I agree. I guess he knows how to reach us and there's a such thing as speed dial. I'm really worried.**

 

You knew you shouldn't have coded the chat like that and snuck around things. You hoped that when Jumin's mind cleared up a bit, he would read into your words and come to you via phone call.

At this point, the attraction you felt had nothing to do with the need to talk to him. You were concerned for him.

 

**ZEN: Yeah...If things get too weird, you can call me, alright? I have to do some late night rehearsals so goodnight.**

**You: Goodnight, Zen. Jumin...I hope you're doing okay.**

 

You both logged out, an empty feeling residing within you. You didn't know what brought Jumin to a boiling point. He was usually so calm and collected but this was him breaking.

You wanted to be there for him and be there as a friend just to talk. You thought it was going well earlier in the evening but things seemed to have taken such a harsh turn.

What _was_ his relationship to Sarah like, exactly? Jumin never spoke about it and this was the first time he had even said his feelings on the matter, even if it came in an outburst. You realized Jumin was hiding a mess of emotions underneath, emotions he didn't understand or knew how to control himself based on that display.

But you should have seen this coming. He wrecked Seven's car and had no regard for his actions. That was the perfect definition of emotional immaturity.

His anger seemed directed at his father most of all and he was in the main line of his wrath.

Chairman Han was known for being a womanizer, apparently, even since before Jumin was even born, from what you saw in the tabloids, having separated from Jumin's mother when he was still very young. It would make sense for his son to be the total opposite to the point that he was willing to suffer through an unwanted marriage just so that he could spite his father.

On one hand, it was kind of admirable on his part go have that kind of determination, but on the other, it meant that if things continued in this direction, he would never have a chance at happiness, forever resigned to his fate. And that was what made the first teardrop fall from your eye.


	11. Chapter 10: Day 5, 10: 57 PM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our heroine makes a heartwrenching discovery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh 200 kudos! I'm uploading a day early to thank you guys so much for supporting this story! And with that, enjoy the conclusion to day 5!

You stopped crying a while ago. Usually when girls cried because of a guy, it was because they hurt them in some way, but Jumin hadn't hurt you at all.

Sure, he lashed out, but you were more than willing to forgive him. Something had caused him to crack and you still didn't know what was the cause. It had been two hours since that short, but disastrous chat and you wondered what everyone was doing right now.

He still didn't call you, or maybe he didn't decipher your message about speed dialing. But that wouldn't make sense, Jumin was the exact type of person who could read between the lines and codes like that. Then it only meant he was still having a moment.

It was late out and since you couldn’t go for a walk like you sometimes did at this hour, there was nothing else to do other than check the RFA app on your phone. You logged into the previous chat and reread what you wrote, hoping you’d be able to catch Jumin, but he wasn’t there. He had gone completely MIA and so had the other members. Except Yoosung, who you knew was playing LOLOL.

When you cleared your way out of the chat, you saw Seven was online and got in the main chatroom.

 

**707: !!! aeja:ldf0291348-149rjl;fkj**

**You: kjf;aoiwjg;32ijtp2ralljlm.**

**707: What????????? Did you see? Ju-Jumin? Omg. OMG.**

**You: If you’re referring to the previous chat, then we all saw...except Yoosung.**

**707: No! This just broke! Look at this!**

 

Seven had sent you a link while also sending his emoji where his glasses would break. The RFA app had caused you to logout as your Internet browser opened to the link. You saw at the top it was from A! News, which was never a good sign. Your body tensed as you waited for the page to load.

 

_Children on the way for Jumin and Sarah Han?_

 

_Just hours ago, our writers were on the scene with an exclusive interview with Sarah Han and her hottie husband, Jumin Han, director and future CEO of C &R International. _

 

“Hottie husband, what the what?” you said to yourself out loud. _And that headline cannot be good._ You skimmed through the article, knowing Seven was waiting for you.

 

_When asked about the subject of kids, Sarah Han expressed interest, “maybe someday!” the beauty of Sugar Round said with such enthusiasm that only a woman ready to tackle on the road to motherhood would say._

_Jumin’s father, the CEO of C &R immediately commented, “Glam and I have been thinking perhaps to let these two on a break from managing sometime after the wedding. We’d love to dote on grandkids!” _

_With only days to CEO of C &R’s wedding with Glam Choi, there are already plans to have kids on the horizon. But there is one thing for sure: there is no slowing down this honeymoon period for Jumin and Sarah, as the happy couple was packing on the PDA! Who knows, maybe a child might be the result. _

 

At the end of the article was a picture of the back of Sarah’s magenta head kissing Jumin, both her hands on him. You could barely see his face, but his suit and posture was unmistakably him. You dropped your phone, feeling your entire body fill with cold sweat.

There it was.

That was what made Jumin crack earlier.

Seeing the photo of the two of them stung, bringing forth even more tears. It only served to remind you that you could never ever have him, despite whatever discomfort he had from being married to her. That Zen was completely right. Even if Jumin had a mutual crush on you, it’s wasn't like divorcing Sarah would easily happen, as divorce for someone in Jumin’s position would be akin to poison. The most you could amount to being was a mistress and that was not the life you wanted to lead.

Probably what stung more was that Jumin didn’t ask for any of this. He was stuck in this for the foreseeable future. His father was clearly a lovestruck puppet and he was an extension of that, only aware of the fact that he was now on a string for Sarah and Glam to control. He would grow old with Sarah, she would have her kids with him, and eventually one of them would die off and that was that.

You quickly wiped the rebel tears of your face and got back into the chatroom.

 

**You: Wow. Holy hell.**

**707: Jumin’s not the type to care about what others think, but even I think he was affected by this.**

**You: No doubt. And it’s up for the public to see.**

**707: His father does have a few things to say...They actually seemed pretty close in the past, but I think he’s totally and completely in love with Glam but his son and the company aren’t snack boxes. Of course Jumin’s angry.**

**You: I feel really sad about the situation too.**

**707:** If I were his son, I wouldn’t eat the snack **and show him my determination!!!**

**You: Waht? You’re not making any sense.**

 

You shook your head at your typo. Too bad Seven didn’t install a function that could edit mistakes. What was there was already laid out for the rest to see.

 

**707: Of course, I’d eat nothing but Honey Buddha Chips. Huh? What???? Gahhh!!!!!**

 

You figured Seven was sleep deprived from all that hacker watching. That’s why he was making no sense.

 

 **707:** **_The moon in the sky..!! Oh...But there aren’t enough stars for the moon to come up!!!!_ ** **★★★★★★★★☆ Help me, please!**

**You: ★**

**707: Ahh! >.< Got it! ★ Thank you! The girl who gave me a star! I will never forget this! The moon is up!!!**

 

He showed a photo of a wolf howling at the full moon on a rock. The sky was cloudy, therefore making his plight ineffectual. Sometimes Seven made no sense but you had to go with the flow. You also remembered he had no opinion to give on Yoosung and Zen’s chastising his earlier behavior. Of course not, since this took precedence.

 

**707: When the moon is up my focus level goes up like crazy! Maybe I have wolf blood in my veins.**

**You: I’m so confused. What does that have to do with your ability to focus?;;**

**707: There is a connection! If you hope and dream for it,** **_there will be a connection!_**

 

This was Seven’s way of comforting you, you realized. He had an odd way of doing it. _You keep saying that phrase..._ your mind said, _but it’s true._ Maybe if you hoped and wished for it hard enough, all of this could be resolved in some way and everyone could be happy.

 

**You: Thanks, Seven.**

**707: Anyways, since the moon in shining over us. I should get back to work. Make a wish to the moon.**

**You: What’s your wish?**

**707: Secret...But I’ll tell you! Please let Elly be a woman! Please let Mr. Han come to his senses! A-N-D...Let me find more clues on the hacker.**

 

You suddenly didn’t care what Zen or the others would think when they read this.

 

**You: I just want Jumin to be happy. He doesn’t deserve this suffering.**

**707: Oh...Ur making your wish for Jumin? He’s a lucky man! What a nice sight. Happy moon night!**

 

He was gone a second later. Once again, Detective 707 was on the case, solving the previous hour’s mystery on what made Jumin so upset. You wondered how the evening went since in the interim, there was a moment where he made the conscious decision to call you. Was that before or after the kiss? Was it the kiss or the talk of children that caused him to bail out?

You realized it had almost been twenty four hours since the chat debacle with the hacker and so much had happened in a single day without you even leaving the building. Your crush on Jumin had only grown, then quelled, then grew again and again despite everything and here you were, practically heartbroken over something that never started in the first place.

If only this happened three months earlier. Maybe things would be different if he met you before Sarah popped in the picture.

All you could do was be a friend to him. That’s really all that could be offered. It wouldn’t stop your crush on him, but if you could just do something to make his life better, be a friend to him, then it was worth something.

Your phone vibrated in your hand and you saw Jumin’s current profile picture. He got the code.

“Hello,” you said, keeping your voice calm. He shouldn’t ever know that you were crying over the past few hours.

“It’s me...I called because I wanted to think about something else. I apologize for calling so late.”

You snuggeld in the sheets and wiped your face with them. There were no tears but it was damp. “Jumin, we already established that it was okay for us to call each other late at night.”

“There is no written contract between the two of us. As my father once said, words are carried by the wind.”

“You’re so stubborn, Jumin Han.” You were glad to see his wits were about him.

“I did it again, having brought up my father. He’s everywhere. I’d like to stop having such complicated thoughts for a minute and avoid all discussion about tonight, just for now. I know tomorrow will be nothing but that everywhere I go.” He was quiet. You could tell he was scrambling up something else to think about to lighten his stress.

“Uhhh, what are you wearing? Does Jumin Han wear pajamas to bed?” You hoped that didn’t come off as too flirtatious, but there was nothing better you could have worked with. Clearly, he didn’t want to talk about the situation.

“Oh...I still have my dress shirt on. I unbuttoned half the shirt to be comfortable but I prefer these over pajamas.”

You did everything in your power to not think of a half shirtless Jumin Han. That was not the point of this conversation! _Dude, isn’t there some magazine spread of Jumin half shirtless you could find on the internet?_ the rebel side said, never failing to say something like that during the least opportune times.

 _You shut the hell up,_ the rational side said.

“Oh,” was all you could say as you tried to stop the war going on in your mind.

“I like having some tension all the time. Wearing comfortable clothes feels awkward.”

“You’re too used to it. Well,” you knew he knew you were fired from your last job, so you didn’t care, “I can relate, since my last job required I wear heels and I had to run around at all times. They were uncomfortable to wear and they gave me blisters like all the time, but now it feels wrong when I don’t wear them.”

“Shame. Heels can be quite beautiful and I’ve noticed designers don’t care for fitting a woman properly. I’m sure once I’d find you a good pair, you could wear them and not worry about being in pain. There’s a difference between enjoying tension and enduring pain.”

 _Hey, isn’t that a metaphor for your relationship to him?_ the rebel side piped up again.

_I told you to shut the hell up! Don’t make me mutiny!_

“True,” you said. “I guess my feet were too wide. They must be making them in mind for people with narrow feet. It probably looks more elegant that way.”

“I’d gift you a good pair of heels, however, they’re not a suitable gift.” _It’s only if you’re dating, which you’re not doing… And it’s not like you’d accept them, anyway._

You tried to think of something halfway intelligent to say, but nothing sprung to mind.

“I’m only talking to you on the phone, but I can almost imagine you in front of my eyes.”

“Me too,” you said without thinking.

 _That’s it, mutiny! I’m taking over!_ You shook your head, forcing the rational side of your mind to take over.

“Amazing…” he said. He clearly had drifted away in thought. “Is this curiosity? I must admit I’m not the curious type. It must be due to your sudden involvement in the RFA. This is certainly interesting to feel.”

“Well, that’s the thing about feelings and emotions. Sometimes they take a while to process. Sometimes they hit you instantly. Either way, they’re still valid. Just say what you’re feeling is right.”

“Then I suppose you already know what this is?” _Attraction, this is attraction,_ your mind said. But he was unaware of it, just like Zen said. _This...this is good. Make sure he keeps being unaware._ “Exploring is another task I enjoy...so this is good.” _No, it’s not._

“It’s always good to explore your emotions, just understand what’s going on and acknowledge them,” you said before he would say something dangerous yet again. You knew once he’d say something that would send your mind in a tailspin, you’d be feeling hopeful again. You had to think of the way Sarah was on him. “Speaking of exploring, I’m excited to have you taste new foods. Don’t think I’ll have forgotten by the time we meet during the party.”

He laughed. “When I talk to you, it’s like all my stress has gone away.”

“Really? I’m glad! Then that means I’m doing my job in being a friend to you,” you said, grateful the rebel side was locked away. You had to be subtle in establishing your friendship with him. He still didn’t understand he was attracted to you, too.

“Thanks to you, I think I can fall asleep. I had so many thoughts through my mind, I found it impossible to sleep. I thought I’d stay up.”

“Sleeping is good for you. What was it you said? A healthy mind holds a healthy body?”

“Yes,” he said without thought. “No one ever listens to me about that.” There was a comfortable silence between the two of you. The rebel side of your mind broke free, as it tried to imagine what it would be like if you actually with him and comforting him, but you cut them off before they grew any more intense. “I hope you have a comfortable night, wherever you are.”

“You too, Jumin.” You didn’t want him to hang up. You wanted him to stay with you, his breath softly being heard on the other line. You could easily pass out like this.

But Jumin didn’t stop. “I heard you dream about the last big impression you have before falling asleep? I don’t want it to refer to visual impressions, that would bring forth a nightmare, but auditory would bring something else.”

You knew you would die if he dreamt about you. That would be the catalyst to making this even more of a mess. At this point you were more worried about Jumin being the cause of his own destruction. “I wouldn’t know,” you said.

“Anyways, I hope you sleep well. Please excuse me.”

“Goodnight, Jumin,” you said just before hanging up.

You had to face the facts: Zen was right. Although he really didn’t understand this and he was going through hell right now, he was attracted to you. That much was confirmed.

You did your part in helping Jumin find his sleep after a long day, but now you were the one feeling a tingling sense of excitement about his mutual crush on you, which for sure wouldn’t let you sleep and there was no way you’d be able to stomach seeing that photo again to pull you back to the crushing weight of reality.

You knew this was going to be quite a problem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I saw a scan of the RFA handbook and seeing on Jumin's profile that he would want to give his potential girlfriend heels, but went back on it saying it was an inappropriate gift due to a superstition in South Korea about giving your s/o shoes so that's a reference to that.
> 
> And yet Jumin is saying this to MC even though he's uh...technically got an s/o (Jumin, give Sarah some shoes, bruh).


	12. Chapter 11: Day 6, 12:35 AM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which everyone tries to keep it together as a new day has arrived.

You stared at the ceiling once more as you rolled around Rika’s bed.

It was funny how six days ago, you were totally in love with Rika’s bed. You had gone from a twin bed to a queen and her bed by comparison was so much softer and you couldn’t feel the boxspring on your back the way you did with yours. It reminded you of how it probably needed some changing, but the people who leased the place were likely too cheap for that. But now, you missed the comfort and feel of your own apartment, the familiarity of it.

You saw in your phone that you had some new emails pertaining to the party, but you were going to respond to them in the morning, it was already the middle of the night and you couldn’t be bothered. Especially with how you were still reeling off your final conversation of the day with Jumin.

You recapped the past twenty four hours in a quick succession. The hacker got into the conversation, causing you to flip out and call Jumin, who then decided to assign everyone but you bodyguards for obvious reasons and in the meantime you got fired from your job and forced yourself to starve due to a dwindling bank account. Somewhere along the line—

Yoosung’s name popped up in the chatroom, causing your mind to abandon all thoughts and you logged in.

 

**Yoosung☆: Hey!**

**You: Hi Yoosung.**

**Yoosung☆: I went real hard with the guildmaster, but I couldn’t catch the rare monster and when I finally checked the chat, it turns out there was more chaos than an LOLOL game!**

**You: Yeah, it’s been pretty chaotic these past few hours.**

 

Yoousung used a surprised emoji. You knew he missed all the drama due to his game.

 

 **Yoosung☆: I’m a bit shocked at Jumin’s whole arranged marriage fiasco. I saw the link Seven provided and even though we can’t see Jumin’s face, he looks so uncomfortable to be there! I seriously can’t understand...I really think marriage should be between two people who love each other!** Marriage should be between two people who love each other!

 

You weren’t sure if he double posted and was sleep deprived or he was trying to emphasize the point. Either way, he continued using an angry emoji.

 

**You: You’re right.**

**Yoosung☆: I hate to say this with my own mouth, but srsly, I’m a romantic guy! I think marriage is a sacred vow you make with the one person you absolutely love to spend the rest of your life together..!**

**You: Again, you’re absolutely right, Yoosung. I mean, it’s kind of a sensitive subject for Jumin, but it’s a shame his dad sold him out like that and he has to play some role.**

**Yoosung☆: I wish Jumin’s dad knew that your feelings are the most important in deciding a marriage.**

**You: I think he does, he’s into Glam, isn’t he?**

**Yoosung☆: He knows it for himself, but not for others. What he did to his own son was very, very** _selfish_ . I hate the idea of an arranged marriage so much! **But...what I’m more mad about is the fact that his father does this to please himself and Glam Choi.**

**You: If there’s anything I’m certain about, Glam definitely knows how to spin the media in her and Sarah’s favor.**

**Yoosung☆: Yes! She’s much smarter than all the other girlfriends. Despite everything, Jumin loves his father dearly even though he never liked the womanizing aspect, but he never told him off for that out of respect.**

 

You could sympathize. You didn’t know what went down with Jumin and his dad a few hours ago, but whatever it was wasn’t good at all.

It was very likely that he had gone off on his dad, breaking character due to having reached his boiling point. You were afraid of knowing the consequences of his actions. You quickly prayed, hoping this would keel over tomorrow.

 

**Yoosung☆: And Glam Choi...Whenever I saw her on TV, she seemed to be pretending to be really young, despite her age.**

**You: What** **_does_ ** **Glam do?**

**Yoosung☆: Well, she seems to be big in powerful social circles. She doesn’t act or sing very well, but she’s friends with all of them and she’s always appearing on talk shows and red carpet events. My mom had seen her a few times on A! Fashion Coppers. She’s also acted in a few shows on guest spots.**

**You: I didn’t know you could get famous that way.**

**Yoosung☆: Sigh...It must have taken a lot of work...Speaking of work, the party’s coming pretty soon, you must feel troubled by all this drama while trying to party plan.**

**You: It’s tough, but we’ll survive, Yoosung, and we’ll eat all the fried chicken and start up Yoosung’s Cooking School, so hang in there!**

 

Yoosung didn’t need to know how bad things were. He was young and innocent. He replied by giving an adorable smiling Yoosung chibi.

If no one was going to keep RFA’s morale up, then it had to be you by default. Not that you minded. All of its members needed a cheer up.

 

**Yoosung☆: I just want all of us to smile on the party day. You know... I’ll actually recommend one more potential guest to be of help to you. The Official LOLOL Association! Now that I’m ranked #2 again and the association means so much to me!**

**You: Bring them on over!**

**Yoosung☆: In LOLOL I can marry anyone I want and I never have to be a certain way to anyone other than my chosen class. This is ridiculous.**

**You: So it’s a free and equal world.**

**Yoosung☆: Right? Talking about it makes me want to play again!**

 

Your grasped the sheets in anger. Did everything always go back to that game? He didn't acknowledge this was an addiction for him and if he was going to be your main assistant during and after the party, then you couldn't afford to have him be bogged down by this game.

 

**You: Yoosung, sweetie pie. Child. Boy. Superman Yoosung. Don’t play the game. Go to bed. Right now.**

**Yoosung☆: Awww, okay…**

 

He logged out pretty quickly and you hoped he wasn’t playing again at this hour. It would become a problem if he did. The chat didn’t log you out as Jaehee logged in quick succession, just missing Yoosung.

 

**Jaehee Kang: You’re here. It’s very late.**

**You: Are you still at the office?**

**Jaehee Kang: Yes. Yoosung is still going on about his game? I’m glad you made an effort to stop him, though I don’t have much faith in his impulse control.**

**You: Let’s hope for the best. How did you find your conversation with Jumin?**

 

You didn't know how that worked out. Poor Jaehee was still in the office and it was way past midnight. Was she going to spend the night there?

You hoped she had a pillow there or some object of comfort to help her navigate through the night. You hoped Jumin was paying her an astronomical amount because you had never heard of an assistant put up with so much and work the way she did.

 

**Jaehee Kang: We weren’t on the phone for very long. He only said he wanted me to tell his father that he was unreachable. What in the world is he doing?**

**You: If it helps, I spoke to him about an hour and a half ago. He’s asleep.**

**Jaehee Kang: What?**

 

Jaehee had to know. She was worried about her boss. And by the looks of it, she still didn’t know what went down hours ago that caused him to be like this.

You were going to have to be the one to enlighten her. This was gonna be tough.

 

**You: Yeah. We talked for a little bit. He’s stressed out and for good reason.**

**Jaehee Kang: He told you?**

**You: Not him, Seven.**

**Jaehee Kang: Him again? Why am I seeing so much of Luciel today? Even the nearly empty chicken bucket on my desk reminds me of him.**

**You: I’ll show you. Give me one second.**

 

You copied and pasted the link, sending it to Jaehee. You gave her a few minutes to read and process,  your mind wandering off to just how much of the chicken Jaehee had for herself. When she came back online, she used a surprised emoji of herself.

 

**Jaehee Kang: This is good for the company, but it looks as though he’s not being compliant anymore. Why is this?**

**You: I don’t know.**

 

 _Liar,_ every side of your mind said. You hated lying to Jaehee like this.

 

**Jaehee Kang: Thank you for getting in touch with him. I will now focus a lot more on my work now and you’re doing so much by providing support for Mr. Han!**

**You: Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day at work for the two of you, even though things are a little crazy with the hacker and the party. Thank you so much Jaehee. Even though Jumin probably never says it, but I’m sure he’s appreciative of you too.**

 

Lord knows she needed motivation to go on. Even though it seemed like Jumin gave her the order to stay in the office, it also looked as though she was there out of her own accord.

 

**Jaehee Kang: Thank you. At least I get to hear that from you. I’m only doing my job, but getting some encouragement does help. I’ll do my best!**

**You: I know you can do it!**

**Jaehee Kang: My eyes are beginning to hurt...Most people go to work when the sun goes up and come home when the sun goes down…Anyway, I have to still work.**

**You: I should talk to Jumin about giving you a holiday. This can’t be good for your health.**

 

She sent a rare smiling emoji, which caused you to smile. You were legitimately concerned for Jaehee. Zen was the one who brought up the idea of Jaehee having some time off and she very much deserved that time to herself.

 

**Jaehee Kang: How kind of you. Well, goodbye.**

 

You pressed your phone’s side button to power it down, causing you to be back to the darkness of Rika’s room. There was still the city lights outside, but this was the darkest her apartment would ever be.

Even though the chats brought in no new revelations (but a new potential guest, at least), it did feel good to comfort Yoosung and Jaehee. They were both good people who didn’t deserve this much stress. You were determined to make the party as good not only for your sake, but for theirs as well.

Because really, that’s all you could do.

You hated how powerless you were in actually being some sort of help. In that way, you could relate to Jumin.

Rika’s bed was warm and it finally began to feel comforting again. You were ready for sleep, and your last thoughts were of Jumin’s last words to you in your conversation and you tried not to cry again.

Despite everything, you really hoped he was dreaming of you.

* * *

Sarah was crying in front of her father-in-law and Glam while the limo kept going. The reporters left hours ago, but the three of them stayed until after closing time, getting even more desserts. She had always dreamed of living this kind of life, attained it, and yet nothing was going her way.

“Oh, Sarah,” Glam said, her voice soft and motherly, giving her comfort. Sarah had been hugging Glam the entire time they were on the limo, her tears streaming down Glam’s blouse. “Don't worry.” Sarah felt Glam place a kiss on the side of her head, next to where her ears were.

“Is there really anything I can do to help?” Chairman Han said for the fourth and final time as the limo stopped.

“No, my dear. I think this might just be between girls. I’ll join you soon, love.”

Sarah heard the door open.

“Well, don’t be too long, Glammy,” he said, his voice distant. He shut the door.

Glam shoved Sarah away from her. “You can stop with the waterworks. He’s convinced enough to help you,” she said, her voice having done a one eighty from sweet to her real voice.

“What?” What was Glam talking about? These were real tears.

“Oh for goodness sakes, woman, are you _actually_ crying? I thought you were better than that, Sarah.”

Sarah responded by wiping a tear off her face. “It’s just that nothing works! Do you see that?”

“No shit, Sarah. You’re being stupid.”

Sarah cried even harder at Glam’s harsh words. “H-h-how am I b-being stupid?”

“You practically fucking sexually assaulted your own husband in public. But the article is perfect so we don’t have to worry about a single thing.” Sarah looked up at her in surprise. She knew Glam better than anyone else and Glam had the mouth of a sailor behind closed doors.

“But…”

“What happened to the Ice Queen? This is going to be just like that Clifferfeller debacle all over again. You can’t keep not listening to me!” Sarah’s tears ran rampant down her face.

“Don’t bring that up to me again.”

“You got even luckier than the last time. He’s young, good-looking, capable, and intelligent. The way they spun this, my baby will have no choice but to have his son and you go on vacation and have a child. You’ll be a mother by the end of next year and your future is secured.”

Sarah was smart enough to know that there was still doubts to the marriage, but once there were kids involved, she would forever be tied to C&R. That would give her security.

“But he doesn’t want kids, Glam! You’re going to have a much easier time than me and you’re old!”

Glam pinched her thumb and index finger in the area between her eyes. “Being over forty is not old! I ought to slap you for that!”

Sarah cried again, this time unable to contain her silence.

“Get it together, woman! I just told you our plans are carrying along nicely and you still decide to act like a child?”

“But...But he won’t even kiss me, Glam! He won’t—”

A smacking noise came across Sarah’s face and while she fell down to the floor of the limo, she registered Glam had slapped her with a force so good, she fell to the floor as if she were in a bad Korean soap opera. All those acting classes must have paid off for her.

“Ow!” Sarah said.

“I told you I was going to slap you. You’re hysterical. It doesn’t matter if the man doesn’t even want to sleep with you or kiss you, stop thinking about the feelings involved and listen to what I have to say for once.” Sarah thought that was easy for her to say. Jumin’s father was transfixed by Glam. In these past four months he hadn’t even looked at another woman because of her, which was no easy feat. “Tomorrow morning you’re going to come up to him, apologize, and leave, okay? Then you’re going to come here and we will deal with the father.”

“Okay…” Sarah said, rubbing the area where she was slapped. Glam held out her hand and Sarah took it. She was now numb to her emotions.

“Now say it like this: ‘Jumin, I’m sorry about last night’.”

“Jumin, I’m sorry about last night,” Sarah repeated, her voice hollow.

“‘I did this for the company’.”

“I did this for the company,” Sarah said, her voice feeling more than real to herself.

“‘I know it means everything to you. I wouldn’t have done that otherwise. It was wrong for me, have a good morning’.”

Sarah sighed. She wasn't the actress. She was a businesswoman. “How am I supposed to remember all that?”

“I’ll text it to you as I head up. Practice your lines, alright? It’s important that he thinks that _you_ you care about his company. That’s the only thing that you’ve got going for you.”

Sarah nodded while Glam got her purse from besides her and began to make her journey out. “Goodnight, Glam.” Glam didn’t even bother to say goodnight to her.

Was everyone in the world going to stay mad at her? She looked at her phone and saw the email containing the kiss. He looked like he was struggling against her, and it brought Sarah back to the edge again. Glam pretended everything was okay, but Sarah knew better. Her life here with Jumin was hanging by a small thread, ready to break under a crushing weight.

It wasn’t a dream she was living, but a nightmare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I combined the first two chats of Day 6 within the same timeframe. Not much point to having MC lying in bed while everyone else is asleep as well. That and it would affect the pacing and I'm pretty particular about pacing.


	13. Chapter 12 Day 6, 7:58 AM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a hero has an encounter and our heroine begins to feel trapped.

He hated admitting this even to himself, but Trust Fund Kid made the good choice of handing Zen some security guards who were proficient in doing their job. Even though Zen wasn't a big name actor like Leo, it allowed him to get in that mindset for future roles.

Even though he had some pretty terrible sleep last night, he was relieved to see his skin was unaffected by it. He grabbed his moisturizer in the mirror and kissed it.

 _God, I am beautiful,_ Zen thought. Even though he didn't believe in any deities, it couldn't be _just_ luck that caused his looks to be this way.

No one in his family had his beautiful crimson eyes or his snow white hair. It was times like these where he had to compare himself like Snow White, someone also with such legendary beauty who had escaped her malevolent family. Except she didn't have any backstabbing brothers.

“Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the most beautiful of them all?” he said after spitting out his toothpaste, not caring he was quoting the evil stepmother’s line. What truly mattered was that his smile was glistening and pearly.

“Oh, I know, it's me!”

Zen left his bathroom, towel still wrapped around his waist and he got ready for the day.

It was going to be extra busy today. He had meetings with all kinds of people in the industry and every connection mattered if he wanted meatier roles. He would not only have to use his looks, but his mind as well. His looks definitely played a part, but Zen lamented the fact that he would get modeling contracts from it, not scripts. But what else was he going to do?

Zen tried his best to keep a strong, positive mind, aware of how important it was to keep your mind proactive, positive, and forward, which were the keys to having a good day, and yet something felt wrong.

Maybe it had to do with how he hadn't uploaded a single selfie to the chat yesterday in its entirety. Or how he felt sorry for Mr. Trust Fund Kid. Or how he promised not to start any fights with said Trust Fund Kid.

Zen didn't have much faith in his friend’s mutual promise but he was going to look on the bright side and hope she wasn't going to try and get herself in an affair with Jumin Han.

It was clear she wasn't thinking clearly, not by a longshot. If Jumin Han was in an affair, it would break her, the RFA, and his company. Zen could only do so much for the girl, but it was clear she didn't have the best judgement. It was such a shame because she had such perfect goals that were in alignment with the RFA. It was like Seven said, as if she were chosen to serve as Rika’s successor. Zen didn't want any of that to fall apart just as it started to be rebuilt.

 _Maybe it would have been easier if she just went for me. Or the kid. Hell, even Seven would have been simpler to go for. But_ him _???_

Zen couldn't figure it out. The obvious, go-to answer was the money. But the girl didn't seem to care about that. His looks were okay, but if she were going for looks then this situation would have been different. What was it about him? Was it the ring on his finger?

And yet he was the only one who noticed their mutual attraction. Did he make a mistake in pointing it out to her? That was the question that caused him to be up all night.

But she should have learned her lesson by now thanks to the A! News article. It was a harsh way to learn, but there was no other way than to confront the truth head-on.

Zen got dressed, wearing his favorite white coat over his black turtleneck. It was going to be chilly outside today and he wanted to look the part and look as classy as he could manage.

He practiced his vocal chords for his morning routine, warming them up in case something would happen that would cause him to later sing. It didn't matter the bodyguards would be able to hear him from outside his main door, he was used to putting up a show anyway.

Zen finished his morning routine minutes later. He checked the time. It was only eight ten.

Zen opened his fridge and poured himself a glass of water, closing his eyes and feeling the water ease his throat.

But something still felt off and he knew that his instincts were _never_ wrong. He got his phone out, automatically turning his camera on. It was a gesture he often did without even thinking, especially since it was his most used app.

Zen took a small breath, knowing that he had to act this out. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a man’s face peering into the room from outside the window but Zen knew better than to react despite wanting to open his apartment door and scream for security.

Whatever feelings of flight or fight he was feeling had to be put on hold. Zen got the camera ready as if taking a selfie and zoomed it forward, successfully getting a perfect picture of the man's face.

The man widened his eyes in realization, horrified, and began to make his getaway through the fire escape.

“Guards!” Zen cried, opening the door.

There were two of them standing just outside and Zen quickly explained the situation right when they paged the guards standing outside.

“Shit!” Zen said, feeling shocked that he was the next target. Trust Fund Kid definitely did do a good job in getting these guys, and despite all this, he was safe.

‘Don't worry, Mr. Zen, even if we don't get that guy we'll make sure he doesn't come ‘round here no more.”

Zen nodded. “How certain will you guys be that he gets caught?”

The bodyguard shook his head. “Don't know but if we find him, he'd better watch out. We're all black belts in Taekwondo.”

Zen was intrigued. “Oh really? I didn't know you guys were trained in martial arts.”

“We're a company of them.” Zen looked at the security guard sideways, feeling a new sense of respect. Sure they were rather scary looking, but they actually weren't that bad as they engaged in a short conversation about working out and discipline. The man gave Zen his business card for future reference, and he flipped it back and forth. Maybe that stupid promise he made with the girl could potentially have merit.

That was if that trust fund kid wouldn't be an ass.

* * *

 

You woke up, immediately logging into the RFA app and staring at Jumin’s business card. You wanted to call him and ask him how he slept but you wondered if it was too forward of you.

He was conservative, but you two had agreed on calling each other whenever, despite his joke. You were worried if he was doing okay, if he had a nightmare of some kind.

It was at that moment you realized that your waking thoughts were literally of Jumin, just how your closing thoughts were about him last night. It was a good thing you couldn't remember your dreams, that is if you dreamed.

 _I'd wager a fair amount that you totally dreamed of him,_ the rebel side said.

_Well, what happened happened and you can't remember, too bad._

Your stomach grumbled and you looked at the time. It was only eight eighteen and your stomach was already rumbling, something you weren't too happy with.

The last thing you wanted was chicken, since you were pretty chickened out but you didn't want to waste any more eggs. Then there was the idea of taking the last bit of bread and toasting it. You had some butter so why not? You got up and pasted the bread in the toaster.

You didn't want to do it, but you'd have to call your mom sometime today. It was better than the alternative, aka using Seven at every turn to get you your food.

And you'd know he'd keep doing it.

Seriously, you were going to have to talk to him. Except he was so busy all the time with his work and with watching the parameters around the apartment.

The toaster popped, causing you to do a little jump. You needed to go out. When was it safe for you to just go out and take a walk? It was too calm, too uneasy for you.

You shook your head, grabbing Rika's butter knife and spreading it on the bread, avoiding all of the thoughts as you began to eat.

The phone buzzed and you remembered you never quite logged out of the RFA app. _Someone's in the chat?_

You hoped it was Jumin but it could have been anyone at this point, probably Yoosung based on his pattern.

It was Zen.

 

**ZEN: I can't believe this!**

 

He sent a photo of a man looking through a window, his eyes in shock. He was an exceedingly average looking man, with brown eyes and short brown hair. He was probably middle aged or in his thirties at the very least.

 

**You: Who is that?**

**ZEN: My stalker? I don't know?!**

**You: What?**

**ZEN: I caught him staring through my window a couple of minutes ago. Some of my security guards are still with me, but the others have started to chase him. We’re waiting for the police to come in.**

**You: !!! I'm so glad you're safe!**

 

You were breathing heavily. So they really weren’t safe, meaning you were in danger.

 

**You: WTF**

**ZEN: Right? Someone went after beautiful me.**

**You: Are you sure they’re not your fan?**

**ZEN: My demographic….doesn’t look like that. They’re ...prettier and of the female gender.**

**You: You never know.**

**ZEN: Seven, when you read this, I want you to do a visual scan of this dude I snapped. Jumin...thank you for the security guards.**

 

Zen was thankful towards Jumin?! This was going to be an even odder day than yesterday, you could tell.

 

**You: Wow. I’m sure he’ll be grateful to hear that.**

**ZEN: I don’t know why I would be targeted. Leverage, maybe? My fans know to respect my wishes and they typically send letters and gifts.**

**You: I think you just answered your own question, Zen. Your address is on public display on your website, isn’t it?**

**ZEN: Shit, it is. Seven, can you get rid of that, too? He’s the one who made my site the way it is. It's a great site but I don’t know where in the world he got those video clips, but I didn’t once think it could be used against me.**

 

 _Jaehee_ , your mind said, _Jaehee supplied the video clips and probably a lot more._

 

**You: We gotta be careful.**

**ZEN: I’m worried about you the most. You don’t have anyone there.**

**You: I have Seven.**

**ZEN: You know what I mean.**

**You:........**

 

Zen had you there. But you didn’t have that many options.

 

**ZEN: My guards are still with me. They’re not so bad, we’ve been sharing a few words and apparently there are a lot of Taekwondo players. Some of them even wear the uniform. I thought they were just dressing for fun, but they train themselves all the time to protect people.**

**You: I guess Jumin did a great job in selecting people.**

**ZEN: Yeah, despite their faces, they’re quite nice and I feel good being around people who work out regularly like me. It turns out their company is pretty big and well managed and I was thinking they could be good potential guests to the party.**

**You: OMG yes! I’d love to meet them!**

**ZEN: Okay, I’ll tell them. They seem like nice fun people. I’m glad to be helping the party even during times like these.**

**You: I can’t believe you thought of that during a time like this!**

 

You knew even from the night before last that you were the kind of person to stay paralyzed in shock. It definitely gave you a new perspective on Zen. And it seemed like maybe, just maybe he would give Jumin a chance. At least there were no backhanded compliments or scathing remarks.

Now you had to hope that Jumin wouldn’t be smug about it. Easier said than done, of course.

Honestly this conversation between the two of you was rather endearing, despite the scariness behind it all.

 

**ZEN: Me either. Oh that reminds me, did you eat breakfast?**

**You: I did. I had some toast.**

**ZEN: Even though I’m still pissed about Seven doing that to you, I’m glad you’re still eating and safe.**

**You: How about you?**

**ZEN: Not yet. There’s usually snacks at the meeting with directors so I’ll be fine. I’ll be late at this rate until the cops show up. Oh give me a second, I’m hearing something.**

 

You paused, watching the time go by. It was weird. You didn’t feel like you were in danger. Actually, it was more of the opposite. You felt safe. Was there such a thing as being a little too safe?

You weren’t sure.

Zen came back a minute or two later and used a crying emoji. Whatever the reason, it wasn’t good.

 

**ZEN: My stalker got away.**

**You: Oh no. So what now?**

**ZEN: I called Jumin just before entering the chat didn’t pick up. Left him a voicemail and a text message.**

**You: He must still be asleep. And what about Seven?**

**ZEN: He won’t be useful until he sees the photograph and hacks into whatever database for a facial scan.**

**You: I guess the best thing we can do is wait.**

 

You hated waiting. That was all you ever did, meandering all around Rika’s high security apartment as if you were a princess in a tower. A really lame princess who was just fired from her retail job.

Since when did princesses have retail jobs, anyway?

 

**ZEN: Speaking of waiting, it looks like the cops are here now. I have to go.**

**You: Bye Zen! Be safe!**

**ZEN: You too, babe.**

 

He gave her a kissing emoji just before logging out.

“Wow…” you said out loud. Maybe you didn’t eat enough, but your mind just couldn’t process what happened with Zen. Maybe it was because you were so out of touch with the world. Zen was the total opposite and he was just as much of a target as you were. But you missed the outside world despite the danger.

 _But isn’t the outside world always dangerous?_ the rebel side said.

 _You know, you have a point,_ the rational side said.

But whatever it was you were going through, you were feeling trapped and you needed air.

But how could you since you were in a crossroads?

You shook your hands in the air, phone still in hand.

The email queue was huge today and you had a lot of work to do and it wasn’t going to do itself. Maybe that was enough to quell the thoughts of wanderlust, because as long as you worked your mind to it, you would continue to feel trapped.


	14. Chapter 13: Day 6, 9:49 AM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the subject of dreams are discussed.

Jumin was trapped in the darkness. There was nothing but black everywhere with no way out. It reminded him of the inevitability of his best friend going blind, an issue he always thought about, but due to the many pressing situations going on in his life, topped with V being as avoidant as ever, he was unable to exert his voice of reason.

The marriage, the company, his father, the hacker, the women....the girl. Her…

Where was she?

He couldn't remember how he got here to this precise place. The last thing he remembered was seeing Elizabeth the 3rd jump on his bed and…

Jumin felt a presence looming nearby. He wasn't sure of what it was but the best way he could describe it was something akin to a shadow.

“Oh my...Honey when did you get this?” a voice Jumin couldn’t place said. It was distinctively feminine. It wasn’t aimed at him, though. “I told you I don’t need these things…”

Jumin never gave presents to women so this had to be an imaginary woman. But this conversation felt so familiar.

“I had to go on the trip alone because you were so busy again. Huh? Jumin? Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of him…” Jumin remembered now. She was his father’s second wife. Even with the recognition, it was futile. He still couldn’t remember her face.

“Another business trip? Don’t worry and go... I’ll be taking a short trip to Bali this time. A gift? I’m fine...Well, if you insist there _is_ one I can think of. There’s a brand new Duffany necklace that came out. It has diamonds embedded on it and I hear it’s limited edition, but you don’t have to get it.” Despite the dismissal in her tone, she obviously wanted it. They all wanted something from his father.

“Jumin? Where are you, honey? Oh, you were here! When did you grow so tall? You’re a grown man now! So much taller than your father!” Jumin’s birth mother was a tall woman, but it was still a surprise to everyone when he was sixteen and towering just under six feet tall, having already outgrown his father.

Jumin wanted to tell her to back off, but he had lost his voice.

“Just looking at you makes me pleased…” He remembered her words now though, and Jumin felt nauseous from the memory of that exchange. That was the moment he knew he had to avoid this woman entirely. “I can’t even see your father’s face these days because he’s too busy...Can’t we be nicer to each other?” She got closer to him, her shadow enveloping him arms. He tensed, recoiling at her embrace. He couldn’t feel a temperature, but her shadowy arms felt akin to something cold.  “I know it must be hard not having your mom. You must be lonely, hanging out with that camera boy every day. If it’s too hard to call me mom, just call me by my name.”

It would have still be difficult to do that even if she was embracing him in a very non-motherly way. Jumin stood still as a statue, not embracing or accepting whatever it was she was trying to say.

“Just tell me when you get lonely. I’ll comfort you real well so that you’re not…” Her voice grew distant and Jumin knew she had let go of him, giving him a single second to breathe.

Jumin felt the presence go away, knowing she had disintegrated seconds later.

It was quiet for a moment, but then the voices began again, this time in a chorus.

“Jumin! Look at me!” another voice said. “I can’t understand why you’re avoiding me.”

“Everyone is dying to meet me! I have the looks and the money. We’re two of a kind!” Jumin couldn’t remember her name. Was it Resonance Girl? Reverb Lass? “I’m totally cute and perfect!”

“You saw Mazim, right? I’ve worked so hard to get a body like this to make the top one hundred!”

The voices all got louder.

“Notice me, Jumin!”

“Hey!”

“Stop pretending to be shy and tell me how much you like me!”

“You’re playing really hard to get!”

“If you’re trying to get my attention, you’ve got it.”

Jumin began to run away from them. He wasn’t the kind of person to ever go running, but for whatever reason he was, but the voices instead crescendoed.

“Embrace me, Jumin! I want to rest inside your arms!”

Then one final voice came through the darkness. One louder than the rest:

“What’s so important about showing your love? What matters is that we’re together. Imagine everyone getting so jealous. I don’t need expensive gifts. I’m a businesswoman, of course! Designer bags from Shanel? I can get it with my own money. Once we’re married, we can live happily ever after in the penthouse.”

It was Sarah’s voice. Jumin couldn’t recall her ever saying that, but everything she said was just babble to him.

Jumin felt something against his back. No, _someone_.

“Hey Jumin! Is this a bad time?”

It was the new girl. She was here. The blackness began to go away, along with the voices, replaced by a white light. He couldn’t see her face, but her back was against him. Jumin ceased all movement, finally feeling welcomed.

“You’re here…” he said, the spell on his voice having been broken.

“Yeah...I’m here! I don’t know why, but I was worried about you.”

“No need,” he said.

“Oh...Then I guess I should go,” she said.

“No!” Jumin said in a sudden voice, much unlike himself. “Don’t go. Stay with me!”

“Okay...I can do that!“

“I wish I knew what you looked like. You have that photo, but it isn’t enough,” he said, surprised by his boldness. “Maybe if I knew.”

“Perhaps...But you know you gotta wake up. You have to wake up before they come back. I mean, well they’re always gonna be back. That’s the way life goes. You can see faces but you can’t see hearts.”

Jumin stood in his place, astounded by her words and how surprisingly deep they were. The silence was gone, the voices coming back. “No, I want to see you. Turn around.”

“No, Jumin. You have to go. I’ll see you on the other side,” she said, the last remnants of her voice being drowned out by the other women.

The world grew even brighter when Jumin opened his eyes, barely registering had a dream. Well, a nightmare, really. The world was white noise to Jumin, the feeling uncanny, yet not foreign.

“Haahhh...Dream…” he said.

The TV was on and Jumin couldn’t figure out why. “Who turned on the TV?” There was no way it was Sarah, since he always kept the doors locked from her at night since that incident. He rose from the bed and saw Elizabeth the 3rd leisurely sitting on top of a table near his window where the remote control was. Jumin looked over at the screen and saw one of the morning shows discussing his father's upcoming wedding. He shook his head and tuned it out, not caring for whatever baseless comments would be said about him or his father.

“Meow?” Elizabeth asked, tilting her head innocently.

“Slept well, princess?” he asked.

Elizabeth got off the table and walked in his direction, jumping to the bed where he could cradle her.

“I had a horrible dream. Elizabeth the 3rd, I’m glad you’re not like those women.”

“Meow,” Elizabeth said. Jumin knew that meow all too well. She was hungry. He look over at his digital clock on his stand. It was past her breakfast time. Jumin felt a stab of guilt. He didn’t know his behavior from last night would carry onto the morning, causing him to oversleep.

“Of course, princess, I’ll fill up your bowl, but I need to check up on someone else first. I need to ensure she’s as safe as you and I are.” Jumin saw his phone blinking, which had over two dozen missed calls, mostly from his father and Assistant Kang, but one of them stood out above the rest.

“Zen? Why would that man…” He was cut off by a text telling him about some potential intruder. Jumin lamented how lost he was to the world. He wasn't going to let it happen again.

* * *

  
**Yoosung☆: What is wrong with the world? Everything is always so dramatic nowadays! First the hacker, then Jumin and the dinner, and now Zen?!**

 

Yoosung had come into the chat flipping out about the incident with Zen. Despite everything, Yoosung contrasted Zen’s cool behavior by freaking out and yet he wasn’t the one who had been attacked. He was a lot more emotionally sensitive than the rest of the RFA members, though. Yet, at the same time, not very intuitive like Zen was.

 

**You: He said he was all right. The police have been in contact with him. And as long as you don’t have your address or anything like that, you’ll be fine, Yoohoo.**

**Yoosung☆: This is worse than LOLOL server maintenance! I feel so bad! Jumin sent me the security guards because of the hacker fiasco and all I’m doing is sitting and watching.**

 

You felt disappointed Yoosung didn’t notice that you created yet another nickname for him. Perhaps another time when he would be less distressed.

 

**You: Well, you’re going to class, too, right? That counts for something!**

**Yoosung☆: They did follow me to class...To be honest, they’re bringing me a lot of attention. Before this whole thing with Zen, I was feeling kind of like a VIP with all these suits following me.**

**You: Hahaha, VIP RFA member Yoosung Kim, gonna get all the girlies this way!**

**Yoosung☆: Stop teasing me!**

 

He put a bashful emoji at your joke. But at least it calmed him down, which he really needed. You looked at Rika’s computer, waiting for a response.

 

**Yoosung☆: It’s not so bad getting attention again though...But it feels weird that this is all because of the hacker. Might as well enjoy the feeling!**

**You: ‘Again’? You used to get attention? From where?**

**Yoosung☆: Oh! High school! I graduated at the top of my class and did so much volunteering with Rika. I’ll admit, she was a lot of my motivation. I wanted to be just like her.**

**You: And you said you liked getting attention?**

**Yoosung☆: Even back then.**

**You: So why did you change? If something gave you such a good feeling, why reject it?**

 

You recoiled, hating yourself for being so bold around Yoosung like this, but there was no other way. Was there any way you could get his mom or dad into contact with him?

 

**Yoosung☆:...To be honest, I felt like I didn’t deserve anything good after Rika’s passing. Getting compliments for my accomplishments felt wrong and unearned. She was the one who helped. I was just there. And besides, Rika was my motivation. If she's gone, then what's the point?**

**You: Yoosung, no, that’s not what she would have wanted, sweetie. She would have wanted you to continue it. And I get it, you’re in mourning, but you’re so young and you can’t stay mourning like this forever. Not when there’s so much out there that needs to be done, things I know that you can do that would make the world a better place. I know Jaehee lectures you on quitting LOLOL, but she wouldn’t do it if she didn’t have a level of concern. We’re all concerned about you, even if it’s not of the safety kind.**

**Yoosung☆: Wow….**

 

Yoosung went over a minute without replying. Or at least it felt that way to you.

 

**Yoosung☆: I should go to class.**

 

 _Great, we scared him off,_ the rational side said, _but he totally needed to hear that._

_Yeah, the boy needed to definitely hear that. He’s probably gonna need a few more of those kind of whackings._

 

**You: Alright, Yoosung. I’m not saying you have to change now and go cold turkey, but consider it, okay? And I’ll always be your friend. Bye.**

**Yoosung☆: I’ll be back! Laters.**

 

Yoosung was gone, leaving you to your still heavy queue of emails, for which you were glad,  because they also distracted you from calling your own mom.

 _Funny how you suggest bringing Yoosung’s mom over when you’re the one dreading this call._ Your relationship with your mom was definitely...something, and you tried to shove aside thoughts of having to call her, pouring yourself into the emails until your regularly scheduled chicken break at noon.

First Jumin, now Yoosung. You wanted to save them both. The two men were such opposites and yet they had such a deep well of sadness and issues. Of course, you did, too, but they were all so miserable, living lives they didn’t intend. You knew you were just one person, but perhaps you could try to save them.

Yoosung was the easier option. You’d all have to band together and give him encouragement. He said he enjoyed attention, so maybe that’s where you needed to start. Sure, you weren’t the volunteering maven Rika was, but you had to find a way to spin it.

You sighed at the desk and looked at the emails. You felt too intimidated at the moment to reply to RamG’s second email, especially considering how world-famous he was, and his temper…

Hackers Chasing Hackers was on the list of unread emails. Seven suggested pranking them and giving them as many misleading clues about him as possible. So far you told them Seven’s real name was Lucky Kim and was an oldie at the ripe age of eighty. Now what?

Yes, Lucky Kim was a grandmother with thirteen kids and over one hundred grandchildren now spread all throughout the world. And you were likely one his progeny’s progeny. You began to have fun with the answer, making up as many outlandish lies about Grandmother Lucky Kim.

“So good,” you said to yourself in satisfaction, typing your response, then hitting send. Maybe if this was convincing enough, they’d finally concede to joining the party. It’d be pretty funny to watch them trying to get Seven.

You smiled, feeling lighter after a good trolling session. This was what Seven had to have felt after pranking Yoosung or Jaehee. No wonder he did it often.

Your phone lit up besides you, Jumin’s name flashing on the screen.

It was amazing how he either called whenever you most wanted to speak to him or whenever your thoughts were away from him. It was as if he wanted to be remembered by you.

“Hey Jumin! Sleep well?”

“Hello? It’s me.” He sounded so casual, but at the same time, weary. He had a long night, after all. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t register the question. Yes, I slept.”

“You slept,” you repeated. “I guess that’s one way to answer the question.”

“I think I dreamed about you. I can’t remember it properly, but I know for certain you were there. You stood there with your back against me.” Your wish had come true. He dreamed about you. But it sounded like it wasn’t of the good kind, judging by his tired voice. Yet it wasn't time to ascend to the heavens because Jumin Han had dreamed of you.

“Why was that?”

“Perhaps my subconscious wanted to see you.” You took in a deep breath, trying not to clue him in.

“Oh? You did say I may have made an impact last night.”

“We can confirm you did. It’s quite ironic, I suppose, I’ve never even seen your face, but I saw your back, rather, I believe we were standing back-to-back.” You heard him make a struggling noise, as if he couldn't quite explain it. To be honest, it was difficult enough describing dreams without sounding incoherent. You tried your best to be as understanding as possible.

“I hope it was a good dream.”

“I can’t remember much of it, unfortunately.” Jumin’s voice wavered. Was he lying? Then again, maybe he was just questioning what he dreamed about like you did sometimes. Perhaps he didn’t even know what went on in the dream in the dream. It wouldn’t technically be a lie. “I seemed to have missed your voice when I woke up.”

Your mind went blank. Where were your thoughts? They were always there, bickering, taking sides. Where the hell did they go?

“Yeah…” you said awkwardly, “I mean, same...uh…” You lost all semblance of the conversation.

“I was worried,” he said. “You’re alone in that apartment without my guards and Zen had his stalker. If it weren’t for the confirmation by my guards, I’d have thought the stalker was an imaginary friend.”

You laughed, “Zen’s not really the type.” Your mind had finally come back...somewhat.

“Not with his delusions of beauty, but I suppose he’s converted some people into accepting his so-called good looks. My assistant is one of them. I was going to message him and inform him that I haven’t had an imaginary friend since I was seven. He’s well over twenty.”

You laughed. You couldn’t help it. “Seriously, though, Zen’s grateful towards you so be nice to him. I know he can be a little...uh..”

“Indignant? Superficial? Annoying?”

“Those aren’t words I’d use to describe Zen, but he’s trying, okay? I just want you two to get along.”

Jumin was silent. “He started it first.”

You sighed in exasperation. “Jumin, I don’t care who started it first, what matters is who ends it first, I swear to god,” you said, your voice firm. You had practically gritted your teeth at him. “You’re _both_ being children.”

He was quiet for a long while, making you instantly regret your words and tone. You vaguely remembered something Yoosung once said about how upsetting Jumin Han would cause him to bite back hard. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you talk this way.”

“Well… I mean...”

“I like it,” he said. It’s a good thing he wasn’t able to see the blush you were sporting.

“I’m not always like this. Just whenever you’re exasperating me.”

“I exasperate you? I was unaware.”

“Ha-ha,” you said with slight sarcasm. “Jumin you don’t know…” _what you do to me_ , your mind finished, but you left it lingering before you veered towards the danger zone again, and yet you wanted to stay in that danger zone. It made you feel wild and alive, these moments that would forever linger and stay in your head. “Now I’m wondering what I said in the dream, if I was nearly as exasperated by you as I am right now.”

“No. You were calming.”

“I wonder what we said, then.”

“I can't remember, precisely. Someone asked me about my relationship experience at one point. It was a childish question so I didn’t bother to answer it...I honestly can’t remember the names or the faces of people in my past. I don’t even know if you can say I saw them.”

“Like the past was a blur of you...just being,” you said, recalling your experiences.

“Not quite,” he said, “but I suppose perhaps in a sense. But the past is only the past. It means nothing to me, and I don’t like talking about it, but I knew there was no way a woman from this semi-nonexistent past was there. And that voice at the end was unmistakably yours.”

“I think the present is more important, Jumin, and the future. You’ll disagree with me on the latter, but that’s just what I think.” Jumin probably thought he didn’t have a future other than the one that was already written for him, but in your case, you sure did know that working full-time for the RFA was a legitimate possibility if you carried things right.

“I can see why the future would mean a lot to you, but to most people, they feel tied to their past or anxious about the future,” _like you do on the future,_ “but I feel most alive in the present. You and I think similarly, however, and it’s a reason why I find myself enjoying our chats.”

“I enjoy them too, I'm glad that makes the two of us.”

“Indeed,” you could practically feel him nodding. You wondered if he felt as alive as you currently did.

There was a moment of comfortable silence between the two of you, your free hand absently fiddling with the keyboard.

“I should go,” Jumin said after a few minutes. “I have a meeting this afternoon and I ought to send Assistant Kang away if she's still there...eventually.”

“Which she likely is,” you added. “I know you're really good with the meetings and everything, but I still want to wish you luck, Jumin.”

“There is no such thing as luck and while these meetings require skill and maneuvering, I appreciate the sentiment. I do not like to leave you like this without my bodyguards assisting you the way they did with Zen, but I fear I have no choice.”

“I'm safe, Jumin, I promise.”

“I would rather see to it myself. Even with a ninety nine percent certainty there is still that one percent to be dealt with. It provides a shred of doubt and that's all it takes.”

You knew he'd say something like this, and there would be no way to ease whatever doubts he was having.

“Hey, that's why I have you on speed dial, all right? I'll be fine. You should go to work, I don't want to keep you here any longer if it's going to affect productivity.”

You could hear a faint laughter, like a scoff, but cuter.

“Well, then...goodbye. Be safe.”

You hung up, feeling a high you had felt before at the end of the other conversations, but you had chosen to ignore it. This time you weren't going to fight the feeling, but instead use it to your benefit as you continued to answer the emails with a positive tone, especially RamG.

Because right now, you could handle anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> S/out to Zentherainbowunicorn for helping me with this chapter! I've been writing for who knows how long and yet nailing a dream sequence is one of the most difficult things out there in writing so I'm sorry for the delay (not to mention the holidays)! I hope it was worth the wait! Bruh I owe you so much!


	15. Chapter 14: Day 6, 12:12 PM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which things start to go haywire and our heroine can do nothing but watch in frustration.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you Zentherainbowunicorn for betaing!!!! I'm sorry this is kinda late. I got a copy of Pokemon Sun and well, it's Pokemon.

Jaehee Kang was having a frustrating day, to say the least. She set aside her cell phone after going through the motions of picking it up and putting it back down for what felt like the thousandth time, feeling empty and miserable after yet another failed call made to V’s phone. In addition to her phone calls, she had been at work all night and all day and she had gotten nothing done. Or at least it felt like that.

She would call V every fifteen minutes and it would almost always go to voicemail with only some sparse exceptions where it would ring a few times and then cut off. She’d been excited the first time it happened, but when V didn't pick up, she began to lose hope.

If she got ahold of V, he would deal with Mr. Han and perhaps it could make things easier for the rest of the RFA. Jaehee could only hope that were the case.

Speaking of Mr. Han, where was he? He said he would arrive after lunch today, but when would that be?

Mr. Chairman wasn't pleased with how his son had virtually disappeared today, and although he had nothing planned today for Mr. Han to suffer through, he was still disappointed from last night. The worst part, in Jaehee’s opinion, was that the whole company was dragged into knowing their personal affairs.

Ultimately, this proved to be a situation that no one was happy with.

But at least it didn't cost Jaehee her job.

She sighed, rolling her eyes at the situation. If there was anyone she had to be thankful for, it had to be the other girl in the RFA who had managed to have an odd friendship with Mr. Han. She didn't care about what was discussed between the two of them, but it always made her boss a lot more humane and sane afterwards, and that was all Jaehee wanted. It would also bring out that rare smile of his and not the one she would see him use during his contract signings. A _real_ smile.

Jaehee's phone blinked yellow, then indigo, notifying both her and Mr. Han’s email accounts had new emails in their inboxes.

It wasn't uncommon for the two of them to receive copies of the same email, but in recent times, it didn't happen as often.

The sender was someone Jaehee didn’t recognize. She moved it to her spam folder, not caring for the name or its contents. Jaehee knew that every now and then the filters glitched and something that ought to have been spam was sent to the inbox.

But the email did something odd:

It duplicated.

 _My filter must be broken,_ she thought. _Perhaps it's time for Mr. Han and myself to try a new server…_

She hit spam once again and the email duplicated even more in her inbox, now with eight emails from some place called Mint Eye. If it wasn't for the strange name, the trick would have been up Luciel’s alley, but during these strange times she couldn't see Luciel doing this.

Something nagged at her, telling her to open the email.

 

**_Leave the RFA and join us in neverending paradise, Jaehee Kang. Our paradise: the place where everyone is always happy...the magenta of hopes and dreams._ **

 

Jaehee gasped, surprised that a work email of all things would refer to the RFA, especially when she kept both C&R and the RFA separate. This was not good.

There was no rhyme or reason as to why some random sender called Mint Eye would email both her and Mr. Han.

Not wanting to risk anything, she took a screenshot of the email and opened the chat, hoping Luciel Choi would be there. It was a crazy day if Jaehee Kang ever needed to speak to Luciel Choi ASAP. She stared at her phone, hoping for speedy results.

* * *

  
Your phone was placed on the table, wondering how to make the call to your mother. Every now and then you would give it a staring contest. And lose, of course.

“Hey mom! It's me! Yeah…” Your voice lingered in the apartment. You had temporarily forgotten about the RFA in lieu of preparing to talk to your mother while using an already eaten chicken drumstick as a fake cell phone since you didn’t want to get yours greased up.

“Yeah mom, I'm like, living in a dead girl's apartment doing her job. Oh? If I’m seeing anyone? No, I'm totally into one of the dead girl’s friends but he's married and stuff, you know, the usual.”

And then she'd go into a three hour lecture on how you were basically the female version of your father and how much of an issue that was.

But at least he didn't mess around and tempt married people like you were probably doing.

“Ugh, I can't do this!” you said, standing up to throw the drumstick away. You washed your hands and went back to your phone, scrolling through the contact list until you saw your mom's number. For a split second,your thumb hovered just above the phone icon and your nerves pinched at you, causing you to instead move it elsewhere, pressing the back button.

Your mind went back to the RFA and you wondered how they were doing, and if Seven had gotten wind of Zen’s plea. He probably had at this point, but he was clearly not in a place to chat. You logged into the RFA app hoping for a distraction.

Jaehee was there at least.

 

**Jaehee Kang: You’re here.**

**You: Did you eat lunch?**

**Jaehee Kang: No...I’m still at the office. Mr. Han has not yet arrived.**

 

You felt disheartened. Where was he?

 

**Jaehee Kang: He did say he was going to arrive late and have lunch with the client before his arrival. I cannot believe I’m about to say this, but I was hoping to catch Luciel here.**

**You: Why? Did something happen?**

 

Jaehee used a sighing emoji. _Great, not another incident. This can’t be good._

 

**Jaehee Kang: I got a suspicious email from an organization called “Mint Eye”. Actually, it wasn’t limited to myself, but also for Mr. Han as well. I tried to put it in my spam folder and it kept duplicating.**

 

A screenshot was posted for you and everyone else to see. The message was short but succinct.

“‘Leave the RFA and join us in neverending paradise, Jaehee Kang’. What…” you read out loud but couldn't finish. There was a lot to take in from the email, especially the logo. The logo was certainly eye-capturing, a literal mint eye staring right back at you. It wasn’t the kind of image that you’d easily forget, that was for sure. It also reminded you of that photo of whoever it was that sent you here gave you, or at least his eyes, anyway. Or were they green? You couldn't remember.

Could he have been a part of Mint Eye? You couldn’t rule out the impossible by any means.

 

**You: That’s really suspicious. I’d tell Zen and Yoosung to check their emails, too, if you and Jumin both got them.**

**Jaehee Kang: That’s what I would advise as well, but they’re both busy too…**

**You: Have you had your lunch yet?**

**Jaehee Kang: No. I haven’t had the time. I’ve been working nonstop.**

**You: Oh Jaehee, you need to go have lunch or take a break. I think Jumin will be fine even if you take a half hour to yourself.**

**Jaehee Kang: He’s due back at any moment. He’s still clearly quite upset over last night. As much as he says that he doesn’t want to detail his feelings, it’s evident to us all. Chairman Han used to give interviews quite sparingly, but in these past few months his stance has changed and it hasn’t been affecting us well.**

**You: What do you mean?**

**Jaehee Kang: Investors haven’t been taking Mr. Chairman, and by default, Mr. Han, seriously. Because of this, Mr. Han has been taking care of paperwork enormously fast despite the fact that he has been feeling very low. Today has been the closest thing to an exception in regards to his regular work schedule.**

**You: So you’re saying his productivity has gone down?**

**Jaehee Kang: Yes. That’s exactly what I’m saying. I’m hoping it’s just limited to today because it only means more work.**

 

Jaehee used a sighing emoji. A second later, Zen logged in the chat.

 

**ZEN: Ladies! It’s good to see you both!**

**Jaehee Kang: Hello Zen.**

**You: Hey.**

**ZEN: Why is the chat so gloomy today….Oh…**

**You: That’s why.**

**ZEN: What is going on?!**

**Jaehee Kang: Have you checked your email, Zen?**

**ZEN: I never check my emails. Last time I checked my inbox had just over ten thousand emails.**

**You: Wow.**

**ZEN: I think I hit full capacity? I’m not sure.**

**You: Gotta do some spring cleaning!**

**ZEN: It’s mostly from stores offering me promotions.**

**Jaehee Kang: If only I could make the time to assist you in cleaning out your email, but I’m so swamped with work! Please check for us.**

 

Zen logged out of the chat.

 

**You: I hope he didn’t get it, but it’ll be a problem if he did.**

**Jaehee Kang: Let’s hope, but I’m not too optimistic.**

 

Neither were you, considering Jumin and Jaehee had gotten them.

Zen was quick to come back.

 

**ZEN: Wow. I came back to find out my inbox was entirely cleared.**

 

Jaehee put a surprised emoji while Zen put his own surprised one, his chibi arms being afflicted with goosebumps.

 

**ZEN: It’s creepy. Over ten thousand emails...gone. Except for one.**

 

He sent a screenshot of his own, which you opened. “ _You are cordially invited to leave the RFA and join us in neverending paradise, Hyun Ryu,_ ” you said, remembering Zen was just his stage name. You weren’t sure how common this fact was to his fans, but the deleting of his emails was weird in its own right. The rest of it was the same as Jaehee’s.

 

**Jaehee Kang: Then there is no doubt Yoosung has gotten it as well.**

**ZEN: I hadn’t logged in to add more bad news;;; I was so excited to tell everyone about my new role.**

**Jaehee Kang: YOU HAVE A NEW ROLE! That’s the first good news I’ve heard all day!**

**ZEN: It’s finally confirmed!**

**Jaehee Kang: I’m so glad. We could really use some morale, right?**

**You: Yeah…**

 

But Jaehee was a superfan. It was better news for the two of them than for the rest of the RFA. You felt a little annoyed that the chat veered in this direction instead of talking about what in the world was going on, but at the same time, life needed to have its good moments. Jaehee and Zen kept shooting each other encouraging messages as Zen described his meeting with the director in great detail while Jaehee was lapping it all up like a starving cat did when fed milk.

Speaking of cats, your mind wandered to what Jumin was possibly doing at this time, what he was wearing, if he was enjoying the tension of today’s suit, if Elizabeth was doing okay without her owner present. If she was doing a great job of comforting him.

Jaehee took you out of your momentary reverie.

 

**Jaehee Kang: ^^ He has a good eye, don’t you think?**

**You: Yes! He’s a great director!**

 

This was the catalyst that brought Zen to submit a photo of the role.

 

**You: Are those cat ears? I thought you were allergic!**

**ZEN: You’re so cute! They’re fake!**

 

You scoffed, hating how situational Zen’s allergies were. It wasn’t that you doubted they existed, but that you knew he was being irrational to Jumin whenever he posted a cat picture. _Drama queen,_ your mind said, feeling annoyed at Zen.

 

**ZEN: So the director also said this:**

**Jaehee Kang: Go on…**

**ZEN: Something like…**

**Jaehee Kang: Yes.**

**ZEN: No! I remember! “Even Zeus would kill to have your charm.”**

**You: That makes no sense.**

**ZEN: So?**

**Jaehee Kang: It just means that Zen is attractive in so many different ways.**

**ZEN: Right! To be honest, I loved Greek mythology.**

**You: That doesn’t make any sense. Zeus isn’t really known for being charming. He’s kind of a serial cheater and total creeper.**

 

You waited for his response. You had read all the classics in high school out of sheer interest. If Zen actually liked Greek mythology, he would give you a proper response.

 

 **ZEN: I think you have a point. I mean, what’s so charming about Zeus? Don’t you think that** **_I’m_ ** **a million times more handsome than Zeus? I’m a sweet boy-next-door type of person, I have a good body, and I have good looks. I do actually think that I could be the God of Beauty...or something like that lol.**

 

You banged your head against the table. Zen’s ego was too highly inflated right now to think rationally. And by the looks of it, he wasn’t done yet.

 

**ZEN: Me more handsome than Zeus? Lololol I am a bit conceited, aren’t I?**

**You: Ridiculously so. Seven or even Jumin when you read this: find us someone who deals with narcissism. This is too much.**

**Jaehee Kang: No one has seen what Zeus looks like, so you can say whatever you want.**

**You: JAEHEE!**

**Jaehee Kang: Also, if there is a God of Beauty, I think you’d be perfect for it.**

**You: STOP ENABLING HIM!**

**ZEN: Hahahahaha**

 

Zen and Jaehee went into a discussion about the role, which was based on a dating sim, it seemed. One where there was a never ending loop. Honestly, the idea of time looping and being reset left you frazzled, but you shoved it aside. Video game adaptations were rarely well-received, but it wasn’t often when they were adapted to a musical setting so maybe it could work.

 

**Jaehee Kang: I purchased the game a while ago, but I should try it again. It’s been too long and now I can think of Zen.**

**You: Is it on Schream?**

**Jaehee Kang: Yes! Now that I think about it, I should have recognized the outfit. There are four other options, what about those?**

**ZEN: I think he won the popularity contest. He barely beat the icy love interest, ick.**

**Jaehee Kang: If you haven’t purchased it yet, then I absolutely recommend it!**

 

“With what money, Jaehee?” you said out loud, feeling both relieved and disappointed that she forgot about Seven’s whole doxxing you yesterday. Jaehee was an intelligent, capable woman, but her fangirling was too much, especially with the pressing issues at hand. At least it took some of Zen’s concern away, so there was that. Perhaps when Zen’s high came down, he’d be back to mothering you and the rest of the RFA. Except for Jumin, obviously.

You zoned out of the chat for the second time until you saw Jumin’s name being thrown around again. You didn’t want to read through walls of what you now dubbed “Narcissism.txt” and went straight to the point.

 

**Jaehee Kang: It feels rather strange with all of Mr. Chairman’s projects taking precedence over Mr. Han’s. I can’t recall of a single time where we haven’t focused on cat projects. To be honest, Mr. Han has always done a lot of work and he is very good at it. Although he does start up those idiotic cat projects, the reason why our department shows the best results in the company is because Mr. Han is a very good corporate director.**

**ZEN: Oh. So he was actually pretty good?**

**Jaehee Kang: He is** **_very_ ** **good. To be honest he does a lot more work than I do.**

**You: Except he seems to be going through a rough time.**

**Jaehee Kang: Yes. He would do anything for his company. That’s why he is well respected. Here, he talks about his cat all the time so I doubt the members here would feel the same way.**

**ZEN: He’s respected? ;;;;**

**Jaehee Kang: Without a doubt. He knew that with Mr. Han’s Sr.’s divorce the company would plummet and potentially go through a flux. After some calculations, Mr. Han saw a chance of the company never bouncing back, so he had gone with the best possible option, even at the cost of his well-being and happiness.**

 

Jumin’s words from a few hours ago flashed back to your mind. _“I would rather see to it myself. Even with a ninety nine percent certainty there is still that one percent to be dealt with. It provides a shred of doubt and that's all it takes.”_ And that was what caused Jumin to agree on an arranged marriage. It explained everything.

 

**You: That makes so much sense.**

**Jaehee Kang: Mr. Han has started cat projects for his personal pleasure and has been able to because he is the Chairman’s son, but Mr. Chairman is the one with the power to change the company to his own wills. That’s why he was able to marry Mr. Han to Sarah and is in process of the acquisition of Sugar Round.**

**You: You mean it hasn’t been purchased?**

**Jaehee Kang: Not yet. Mr. Chairman’s wedding will be the first time Sarah proves her worth.**

**You: That’s not a very good strategy. Wouldn’t it be better to try out the goods before purchasing?**

 

But you knew better. The shoe department of the store you had worked in used censor buttons stuck onto them in a way that wouldn’t allow customers to try them on in fear of theft. In addition, many shoes would be attached together until purchase. And yet people bought them all the time.

 

**ZEN: People do crazy things when they’re in love. Now, let’s stop talking about depressing topics like emails and arranged marriages and stalkers and go back to talking about my new role!**

**You: I can’t take this anymore. I’m leaving. Bye.**

**ZEN: NO! I was going to make it worth your while.**

**You: You have one sentence, Zen, or else I’m leaving.**

**Jaehee Kang: !!!**

**ZEN: The person who wrote the script is part of Romance Novel Association and I was thinking of inviting them to the party.**

 

You took in a deep breath of air. Zen had indeed made it worth your while. Another potential guest meant another person who could permanently secure your spot with the RFA.

 

**You: Alright, you delivered, invite them.**

**Jaehee Kang: Great! Then if they come to the party, you might get more roles from them! I should make time to go to all of the performances when that happens. You should come with me!**

**You: Well, I’ve never been to one other than the productions at my school.**

**Jaehee Kang: Hopefully I’ll be free after all of this is taken care of. I’m very glad I’m not part of Mr. Chairman’s assistant team. Wedding planning is excruciating.**

**You: It sounds awful. How did you handle it?**

**Jaehee Kang: Luciel called in a famous wedding planner named Marc. It was a very well known story that last year, both the bride and the groom called off the wedding because they fell in love with Marc. Luciel was hoping for this plan to work as a failsafe but…**

**ZEN: Um?**

**Jaehee Kang: Yes?**

**ZEN:** **Can’t we just keep talking about my new role?;;**

**Jaehee Kang: Oh, yes, please go ahead.**

**ZEN: Never mind, I’m starting to feel a bit timid.**

 

You shook your head. Zen, timid? He was being ridiculous. You wanted Jumin here and now to put Zen in his place, promise or no.

 

**You: Alright, Mouse Zen, I'm going to go and work on some emails.**

**Jaehee Kang: I didn't meant to be on the chat for this long, but this is such a joyous and momentous occasion. I must go to work. You two have a great afternoon.**

 

Jaehee logged out first, leaving you and Zen alone.

 

**ZEN: I need to go too! Please take care of yourself. I'll see you later, cutie!**

 

The two of you logged out and now you were back to handling emails again and finding excuses to avoid speaking to your mom. You had been annoyed by Zen's narcissism and how you saw it reach depths you didn’t think were possible. There was indeed a person from Greek mythology Zen would be able to play to perfection, you realized. You recalled the story of Narcissus, a beautiful man so in love with himself that he rejected a girl named Echo to just stare at his reflection in the water.

It would be hilarious if Echo Girl was starring opposite him in whatever production due to the literary hilarity of it all.

Zen must have felt bad for annoying you because the welcoming email from the romance writers came in astoundingly quick. Her question was intriguing enough for you to forget all about today's many issues, something which you needed, because as crazy as the word was, you knew you couldn't be a part of it...at least for now.


	16. Chapter 15: Day 6, 2:48 PM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our heroine begins to feel more frustration towards her fellow RFA members; elsewhere, a game changing plan is made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again Zentherainbowunicorn for beta-ing! Based on her reactions, I think you'll like this chapter a lot, too.

**Yoosung☆: ARRGHH WHAT DO I DO? WHAT DO I DO?**

**You: Uh...Yoosung?**

**Yoosung☆: I’M A WRECK!!! PLZ COME AND SAVE ME PRINCE CHARMING!**

**You: Yoosung?**

**Yoosung☆: *Princess**

**You: FOR THE LOVE OF GOD YOOSUNG!**

 

He sent the photo of a desktop screencap of what looked like LOLOL. There was a lot to take in from the screenshot: Yoosung had over a million in currency, there were other avatars all across the screen, an inventory to the left side, and a map on the lower right side of the screen. You’d never played LOLOL before, but you found what you were looking for. It was another character sending a message to Yoosung about leaving the RFA in favor of joining Mint Eye and accepting “paradise” or Magenta, whatever that was.

It gave you goosebumps realizing all of the emails came through to the RFA members in ways they couldn’t simply ignore. It was evident that the sender _wanted_ them to see it. Jaehee’s emails multiplied when she didn’t give them a second thought, Jumin got them through Jaehee, Zen’s entire inbox was cleared, and Yoosung had gotten it through a sketchy PM in his LOLOL game.

 

**You: OMFG**

**Yoosung☆: Right? SCARY! And what’s even scarier is that my professor said we’re going to have an exam in an hour!**

**You: Are you ready?**

 

You knew he damn well wasn’t.

 

**Yoosung☆: NOOOOOoooOOOOOOOOoooooOOOOO**

**You: Have you given some thought as to what I said?**

**Yoosung☆: Yes...but this is the worst day ever! It turns out 25% of my grade is riding on this test!**

 

Maybe with this, he would finally have an actual reason to take your advice. _I kinda hope he fails so he can get it through his mind_ , the rational side said. The other side was silent. If Yoosung miraculously passed this exam, he’d be able to learn nothing from it. Either way, it wasn’t like you could do anything about it.

 

**You: Ouch. Why would you even sign up for a class like that? Didn’t you read the syllabus?**

 

Seven logged in that precise moment.

 

**707: I bet you a box of Honey Buddha Chips he didn’t!**

**You: SEVEN!**

 

You took in a deep breath of relief. You hadn’t heard from Seven since late last night. _Oh dear sweetness, he’s here!_ The rationalist said, _all is saved...maybe. If he doesn’t decide to take this opportunity to troll Yoosung._

_You know he will, somehow_ , the other side said after being silent for so long.

 

**You: Seven, has there been any updates on the hacker?!?!**

**707: You’re quick to the point. Hey Yoosung, did you know they say bad things come in threes? Maybe LOLOL’s servers will explode tonight?**

**Yoosung☆: OMG! DON’T EVEN SAY THAT! I’m troubled enough already. Apparently, the professor told us about the test before. How come I didn’t know about this?**

**You: Well, it’s obvious.**

**707: Just write whatever.**

**Yoosung☆: Write whatever?**

**707: Yeah, when you see the question, you get the answer immediately. Just write that and leave.**

**Yoosung☆: You get what when you see the question…?**

**707: Answer. Lol**

**You: Is that how you got through college, Seven?**

 

Of course Seven used the emoji where he’s playing with his glasses. Instead of laughing you felt frustrated, which seemed to be your general mood today. Jumin hadn’t called since early in the morning and was gone from the chat. And the others weren’t quite helping you elevate your mood. Not to mention, you _still_ hadn’t called your mom. The one thing that didn’t irk you was that Monnami had agreed to come to the party.

Those were the only good parts of today. You had it with today and everything about it and yet you felt like this was only just the tip of the iceberg. If only you could go out running for as long as your feet could carry you.

 

**707: Yep yep. I got a lot more sleep then, too. Three hours every day. So you just write the answer down. Use your brain and write the answer and then the professor will go “YOU ARE CORRECT” and 25 points will be awarded to House Yoosung and it will be a** major increase in likability **.**

**Yoosung☆: Yeah, of course the professor will tell you that.**

**You: Wow, Seven, you’re such a genius.**

 

You knew Seven wouldn’t be able to recognize your sarcasm. He replied to your quip by using the Seven emoji with the hearts all over.

 

**707: I’m a genius?**

**Yoosung☆: You already know that already…**

**707:** Then what about you??

**Yoosung☆: Whatever.**

**You: So I’ll ask again: what about the hacker? Any news?**

**707: But first do you remember the Lord of the Bracelets?**

 

Seven was going to be the death of you.

 

**Yoosung☆: LOLOLOL of course I do! We saw it together. Do you know about it?**

**You: Is that the one with the woman carrying all the Pradump bags?**

**Yoosung☆: No! That’s The Devil Slathers Pradump.**

**707: It’s a good movie to watch if you want to understand Jaehee’s life story, lolol. Veranda Beastly is just Jumin in heels lol. I think she even had a cat just like him. It’s a good movie to watch if you want to go through a Jumin relationship simulator.**

**You: Sounds like a game.**

**Yoosung☆: But the movie we’re talking about is a fantasy movie! You have elves, orcs...**

**707: Twisty Legs and Short Legs. We cosplayed as them.**

**Yoosung☆: When they found the bracelet at last in the end...tears were streaming down my eyes. My heart races just thinking about it. But what about it?**

**707: lololololololol sooooooo...I found someone similar to the Lord of the Bracelets.**

**Yoosung☆: NO WAY.**

**707: YES WAY. FOUND HIM.**

**Yoosung☆: O.M.G.**

**You: You’re saying you found...someone in a fantasy movie…**

**707: Yup.**

**Yoosung☆: Who is that** someone?

**707: He is...wait for it…** LORD OF THE WORKBASKETS.

 

You squeezed both hands and slammed them both against Rika’s desk, the banging noise reverberating around the apartment. You angrily got up from out of your seat and without a second thought, flew to the door as if possessed by the devil himself, opening it wide into the hallway. The door slammed against the wall, the noise loud enough for everyone on the floor to hear, but you didn’t care.

There was a camera facing Rika’s door, which you eyed, extending both hands in the air together, making a choking gesture over in the camera’s direction.

“Do you see this, Seven? I’m gonna freaking strangle you first chance I get! I don’t even know if you can hear or see me right now! _Ugh_!” You shut the door before any other tenants living in the fourteenth floor caught you acting like a madwoman.

The chat had still gone on during the brief period you were away.

 

**Yoosung☆: WHAT THE HELL, SEVEN?**

**707: Haha, you should see our girl, she’s so cute. She’s outside threatening to strangle me. So cute. Soooooooooo cute! ♥**

**Yoosung☆: I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s every interaction you’ve had with girls. Look at Jaehee.**

**707: Still more than you.**

 

You laughed at Seven’s jab, momentarily forgetting how annoyed you were at him.

 

**You: I’m back. You’re still gonna get strangled the day of the party.**

**707: I’m so excited! But can we invite the Lord of the Workbaskets, pleeeeeease?**

 

Seven used the heart eyes emoji again and you knew you couldn’t refuse.

 

**You: Yeah, sure, the more the merrier. And Zen mentioned something about a wedding planner named Marc, was it? Get him in touch with me, too.**

**707: Oh yes! Marc-y Marc. I was hoping during the last minute, Sarah would run off in his arms and into the sunset, but nope. I will get the two of them over to you.**

**You: You sure do know a lot of people.**

**707: Seven’s friends = Everyone in the internet.**

**Yoosung☆: What?;; He’s not your friend. You just found him online;;**

**707: No comment.**

**Yoosung☆: But what about the hacker? We are having problems with it.**

**707: What? Why is Yoosung sharp all of a sudden?**

**Yoosung☆: Honestly, I think he’s after you. Everyone’s been attacked but you.**

**You: It’s true. You have to face the facts, Seven. Everyone is counting on you.**

 

You hated adding onto the pressure but who else was going to track him down? You would if you could, but you distinctly remember cheating on your HTML spreadsheet class back in high school.

 

**707: I know, I know...But no need to worry about me. I have a three layer security system.**

**Yoosung☆: That’s good. But I’m more worried about  the lack of security over at Rika’s apartment. All you have is Seven and his maid watching you. That’s not enough!**

**You: I’m fine. I haven’t gotten those strange emails. I wanted to talk about them for a moment. Did you guys notice that they seemed to have predicted our patterns and targeted us in ways that would get our attention? Isn’t that weird?**

**Yoosung☆: Come to think of it, yes! How else did they know I wasn’t going to check my student email and be on LOLOL instead?**

**707: (How Yoosung missed the announcement for the test lolol)**

**Yoosung☆: Then that means the hacker is still here in the chat watching us! AHHHHHHH!**

**707: No, I can assure you he’s not here** . This chat is untouched and safe. Besides, I have located the IP address and I plan on researching this tonight. **In the meantime, stay with your bodyguards and as for you, Agent 606, I have ordered you a vegetarian pizza from Master Pizza.**

**You: Seven, no.**

**707: Seven, yes. You need to portion your food. Yesterday I gave you protein, meat, grains, and veggies. Today you’re getting dairy and veggies and grains! I read it in Expert Playboy Vol 3 that monitoring a girl’s intake of the food groups will make her feel protected.**

**You: I’m going to go outside and pretend strangle you again.**

**707: So cute!♥ I’d love a girlfriend just like that! ♥**

**Yoosung☆: Me too...But srs, Seven, we need to get this hacker thing solved if we want to have fun at the party.**

**707: I guess everyone’s down right now, aren’t they.**

**You: ...Yeah.**

**707: Sorry for making you all worry. I will solve this issue, I** promise! **Once I make sense of the pieces, I will let everyone know what’s up.**

**You: You’ve been...something...today, Seven, but I’ll forgive you. It’s just that we’re all on our toes.**

**707: I have a lot to work with. Zen’s stalker’s identity, the emails and PMs, the IP address, and that logo. I should go. It’s going to be a long night for God Seven, but fear not, for on the 6th day God Seven blessed his girl with pizza!**

 

Seven left the chatroom.

 

**Yoosung☆: Did he just leave?**

**You: Ya. I know Seven’s been trolling, but he’s got a lot on his plate.**

**Yoosung☆: And I have to go to the library. My security guards will be following me there, probably.**

**You: Oh? Good luck on your test! Make sure to bring sunglasses with you so even if you fail, you get to fail in style!**

**Yoosung☆: Thanks for the advice! I won’t be able to be like Seven and write the answer as soon as I see the question, but I should at least try so that I understand them! Then I’ll get going!**

 

You remembered during high school, you would arrive to your math classes on test days wearing your most stylish and outlandish accessories, one of them being a huge pair of sunglasses that you'd move to the top of your head. It was definitely a good way to prepare for the fallout that would come from failing your test like how your mom would take away your books and force you to study, even if the numbers and sometimes letters made no sense to you.

If only now you had your pair of Dyor or Jucci sunglasses. They were seasons old and your old workplace sold them at a discount, but they were currently residing in the bathroom of your apartment. If only they were here with you, then you could pretend to act confident and maybe call your mom.

The phone rang seconds later, with Seven’s icon showing. “Seven, what the hell?”

“Heya hey hey, is my favorite girl going out to get her pizza delivery?” He sounded so lively on the phone, almost as if the whole hacker issue wasn’t bothering him.

“Seven, I’m going to talk to my mom about getting me money to order my own food. You don’t need to do this.”

“But I must! Expert Playb—”

“I don’t care what Expert Playboy has to say, it’s embarrassing!” You gathered your purse and slung it around your arm, ready to leave. You’d have to awkwardly deal with the concierge again, but at least this time Seven would be on the phone to distract you. “Can we not talk about this? If you’re gonna be like this, then why did you call?” you said while opening the door and closing it right behind you. You pulled the handle and jiggled it to make sure it was extra secure.

Seven sighed on the other end of the line, clueing you in that this was all just a front. Guilt stabbed at you.

“Sorry, Seven, I’m on edge. I shouldn’t take it out on you. Thanks...for getting me pizza.”

“Are you sure you want to call your mother?” he asked, his voice leaning on a more serious tone. You walked up to the elevator and pressed the down arrow.

“I don’t really have much of a choice. She’s my only family left at this point and I’d like her to help me with next month’s rent, at least.” The elevator dinged open. You figured Seven already knew of your background and your parents. “You say that with such uncharacteristic empathy, no offense. Is your relationship with your mother rocky as well?”

Seven was silent for a good few seconds. “You could say that.”

“Sorry. We should change the conversation.” You shook your head, hating how you kept apologizing to Seven when just minutes earlier you threatened to strangle him twice. Why was it that Seven had to show two vastly different sides to him? The worst part was that you never knew how to react to these sudden changes.

“My calendar has a quote of the day. ‘Life requires endless studying’. Do you know this saying?”

“I’m sure both my parents used it on me at some point. They loved to throw proverbs at me.” You realized you were pacing around the elevator while talking.

“I saw it during a moment of procrastination. Even when I’m procrastinating I’m studying the ways of life so it doesn’t seem like I’m procrastinating at all!” It was kind of alarming that Seven of all people was talking about slacking off when everything rested on his shoulders.

“So…” you trailed.

“So, it means even if you are idle, you are still living the ways of life!” _Why does Seven have to comfort me in the oddest of ways?_

“I suppose. I’ve just been feeling useless lately, trapped in Rika’s apartment while the other members of the RFA get those emails, and then there’s Yoosung and Jaehee and even Jumin,” you said, your voice quivering at Jumin’s name.

“And Zen, don’t forget Zen,” Seven said. If he caught your nerves being set off at the mention of Jumin’s name, then he was silent over it. The elevator door opened.

“Zen will make sure we don’t forget about Zen. Any progress on what happened this morning?” With all the drama from today, Zen’s stalker felt like it happened days ago instead of just this morning.

“I will look into Zen’s stalker, but something tells me Assistant Robot Kang will ransack the fanclub database,” he said with a robotic tone at the end.

You chuckled, understanding that there were bigger fish for Seven to fry. “It’s a lot of pressure, Seven. I honestly admire you for taking this on for yourself.”

“And _I_ admire _you_ for being the shining star to the RFA. I still remember you as the girl who gave me a star.”

“That was just last night!”

“I know.” There was another person talking to the concierge so you stood waiting for your turn. For a moment you wanted to stand outside and enjoy the sunlight. “You’re Polaris, the shining star weary travelers would look at when navigating through new lands and uncharted waters.”

You took in a deep breath, understanding Seven’s bizarre metaphor yet again. He knew that you had taken upon the role of a comforting ear to the members of the RFA. “I wouldn’t be Polaris if we weren’t a team, remember that, Seven. Even if you’re buying me a pizza and chicken and god knows what else, I have your back, alright? I know you’re watching over me, but I wanna help you too in whatever way I can.”

The concierge was free. “Give me a sec,” you put the phone down, “Uh, my friend Luciel ordered a pizza for me this time around.”

“Yes! Luciel! This person must really care about your eating habits.” He bent over and pulled a box to the counter while you tried to contain a blush.” Here you go. Enjoy.”

“Thanks!” You were careful not to say “you too” this time around and left, bringing the phone back to your ear. “Seven?”

A voice who wasn’t Seven could be heard on the other line, albeit faintly. “Who are you on the phone with, Seven? Are you procrastinating on the job _again_?” You couldn’t make out that voice, but it was masculine.

Was that...Vanderwood?

But wasn’t she a lady?

“Seven?”

“Did you get your pizza, Agent 606 Polaris?”

“Uhhh…yeah.”

“Good! Agent Seven Oh Seven has to take flight and fight the forces of evil! Until next time!” You put down your phone, shaking your head at the weird, yet oddly heartwarming conversation between the two of you. The pizza box in your hands felt warm and the aroma was delectable. You couldn’t wait to go upstairs and get down to devouring it. The elevator door dinged and you stepped right in, feeling a sense of excitement for the first time in hours.

* * *

 Glam was waiting for Sarah in front of the elevator doors in the building she resided with Mr. Chairman. She was alone and her face had resolved back to what people used to joke as her “resting bitch face” back when she first started acting. Glam had taken classes on resolving the issue, but Sarah knew it would come out every now and then.

“Did you tell the boy your lines?”

Sarah should have expected Glam to get right to the point. “No.”

Glam’s hand fell on Sarah’s shoulder, squeezing it with a careful kind of rough like a mother who was disappointed at her child for misbehaving at a dinner.

_Wait, wasn’t that last night?_ Sarah thought. Last night felt like ages ago to her. Time kept passing on so slowly.

“So you’re telling me you did all those rehearsals and said you were going to apologize to your disinterested husband for nothing?”

“Glam, he wasn’t there this morning when I knocked. I haven’t heard from him!” Sarah hated how desperate she sounded to Glam, but if anyone could be exposed to any shreds of vulnerability on her part, it was better for it to be Glam than anyone else.

“I knew this would happen, so I don’t fault you for it,” she said, letting of her hand on Sarah’s arm. “The boy’s disappeared all day, meeting with investors and the like, according to his father.” Sarah felt a stab of relief knowing that Glam could understand even if for a second. “I’m still disappointed.”

Still, at least her understanding _did_ last only for a second.

“Glam…” Sarah said, but her train of thought escaped her.

“It’s okay, Sarah. Whatever you can’t do, Glam will fix it.” At least Glam was always one step ahead.

The elevator door dinged and they walked in together. Glam pressed the button at the very top. “So how has your day been?”

“Good, actually, if it wasn’t for my husband having disappeared like that.” The truth was that she waited for as long as she could for Jumin to come out of his bedroom, but it was so silent in there that by the time it was nine-thirty, Sarah concluded either he never came back and was at the office or he was dead to the world.

Even since the wedding, Sugar Round increased their workforce and she had to make sure her catering was perfect for Glam’s wedding. Even if the marriage wasn’t as secure as she was once led to believe, at least her company was flourishing better than it did when she was single.

There was at least that.

“Sugar Round was able to acquire and procure sixteen types of cakes for the wedding, all ready for everyone’s sampling needs.” She knew Mr. Chairman would agree to all of them. Glam confided he had quite the sweet tooth, while his son lacked it. It was another point in Sarah’s favor when she was first introduced to him. “This includes the exclusive Rum Cake.”

“At least you weren’t totally useless there,” Glam said. Sarah tried to hide her elation at Glam’s praise. At this point she was so distraught that any kind of positive recognition would make her happy, if only for a moment.

The elevator doors opened, and Glam led them to a door protected by a wall of security guards, who opened at Glam’s request.

Sarah’s father-in-law stood at the center of the living room, waiting for them. Sarah felt Glam’s entire aura change from night to day.

“I missed you, Glammy,” he said, kissing both of her cheeks.

“Darling, I was only out for ten minutes.”

“Sarah, so nice to see you again!” He kissed only one of her cheeks, but quickly focused on Glam. “You look to be in better spirits, my girl!”

“Oh? I did just wrangle our cakes for the wedding. They’ll be divine!” she said, barely recognizing her own voice. She sounded like the Sarah from before her wedding to Jumin.

“I’ll just get straight to the point. I don’t want to take up too much of your time, but Glam and I were thinking about going to a honeymoon in Qatar next week. It was either that or Luxembourg.”

“Oh, tell him the good news!” Glam said, her voice overtly excited.

“Yes, I have it on good authority from my son that Qatar is quite the place. Beautiful sunsets and sunrises from spectacular views. So romantic! That’s why I’ve discussed with HR if you and my son could accompany us for our honeymoon.”

“Huh?” Sarah said, not knowing what to think. Was this what Glam was up to?

“Well, Jumin got back to work straightaway after the wedding and you’re such a workaholic too, dearie,” Glam said, finishing for him. Sarah read between the lines: _this is your chance, Sarah._

“I wasn’t expecting that,” Sarah said. “Does Jumin know?” If Jumin couldn’t even handle a kiss from her, she could only think of how he would react over a honeymoon.

“I was going to tell him today, but the boy’s been so stubborn that I can only reach that assistant of his. I’d rather run it through you first, Sarah. Would that be okay? Would four be a crowd?”

“If anything, you can always leave us old-timers together by ourselves…” Glam said in a purposely coy voice. Sarah wanted to cringe.

“It would finally be a great way to know my son. He’s a great man once you really get to know him. What do you think?”

Glam eyed Sarah with big brown eyes. There was no way she _could_ say no. “Sure. I’d love to.”


	17. Chapter 16: Day 6, 4:10 PM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our heroine convinces a friend to change his lifestyle with the help of a friend; later, she finally decides to make the call.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy late holidays! I've been playing the DLC for the past week and a half and I'm finally, finally going after Jumin, who I saved for last. I will say it did freak me out a little when Seven sent that (fake?) News image where "Does Jumin Han is Gay" at the bottom considering I reference it as an in-universe meme that occured during the Christmas Season back in chapter 2, which I wrote in late October. Anyway, happy new year's!
> 
> And of course, many thanks to Zentherainbowunicorn for beta-ing!

 

The excuses you kept making in an effort to not call your mother were starting to dwindle. The email queue was empty and there were no other pressing matters.

The truth was, when you first left home to go to the university, you had always called your mom five times a day at the minimum. By the time you graduated, it was down to strictly two times a day. Then once a day. Then once a week. Then a month. Now it was three months running. You’d never gone this long without hearing her voice.

You had to admit you missed her.

_ Isn’t the last time you called her right around the time Jumin married Sarah? _

_ Dude, don’t think about that, _ you added. You opened the RFA app as a last-ditch effort to distract yourself while pacing around the apartment.

This was the prime time to talk to Mom. Once dinnertime began, you’d begin to make excuses and next thing you knew it would be midnight and yet another day had passed. 

Yoosung was online, which prompted you to remember if his exam went well. It likely hadn’t, considering he had changed his profile pic to his face photoshopped onto The Scream. It was a really good render, too, and you wondered if Seven had anything to do with it. Seven must have been a good digital artist, especially since those chibi emojis the RFA members used in the chatrooms had to be designed from scratch.

Your suspicions about the exam were confirmed when Yoosung messaged you, using an emoji of chibi Yoosung’s back facing against the screen.

 

**Yoosung☆: I’m doomed. I was expecting it...but…**

 

He uploaded a photo of a paper crumpled up to resemble a ball. A giant red “F” could be seen.

 

**You: Yikes.**

**Yoosung☆: I was crushed…**

**You: Just like this paper.**

**Yoosung☆: I wrote a letter to the professor telling him that I really can’t fail the class…**

**You: Did he reply back?**

**Yoosung☆: I’m waiting.**

**You: Yoosung, this isn’t good for you. What if you flunk the class, then what will happen?**

**Yoosung☆: If that happens, then my GPA will go down.**

**You: Yeah. And if this one class is giving you trouble, then what about the others?**

**Yoosung☆: I don’t know. I haven’t checked my grades. T_T**

**You: Okay, but what happens if you get low grades in those classes as well?**

**Yoosung☆: Your scholarships get revoked. The university may ask you to leave.**

 

Of course he used the crying emoji. But you didn’t care. No, that wasn’t it. Rather, you cared  _ too much _ to watch him just idly throw his future away. He needed to know.

 

**You: So what happens if there’s no money to support you and you’re asked to leave? What will become of Yoosung then?**

**Yoosung☆: I...I have to live with my parents again.**

**You: Wouldn’t they be disappointed? Wouldn’t Rika? I know getting an F is terrible, it’s the worst, but you have to use this experience to your benefit as a warning. If your professor gives you a chance, you better take it.**

 

Jaehee logged in and you praised the earth, sun, and stars. She would help you out.

 

**You: Hey Jaehee.**

**Jaehee Kang: Good morning to you both. On that note, she’s absolutely correct. Now’s your chance to make a change before it gets any worse.**

**Yoosung☆:...Okay. I’ll deactivate my LOLOL account. I’ll tell my guild members to go on without me.**

**You: Good. You need to if your future is at stake. Yoosung, you’re young and life is tough. Like, really tough. I don’t mean to pry, but was Rika’s death the first time you experienced how awful life can get?**

**Yoosung☆: Yes…**

**Jaehee Kang: Death changes us all. As time passes, you look at yourself in the mirror and wonder how you became the person you changed into.**

**Yoosung☆: Have you felt it too, Jaehee?**

**Jaehee Kang: When I was in ninth grade my mother died in car accident.**

 

The chat was silent for a few seconds. You couldn’t figure out what to type, knowing exactly what Jaehee and Yoosung’s pain was all about. It wasn’t something that was easy to talk about, since both were deeply affected by their loved ones leaving far before their time. 

 

**Yoosung☆: I didn’t know. I’m sorry.**

**Jaehee Kang: I never spoke about it because it was never brought up in the chats. After she passed, I lived with my uncle and his wife, both reluctant to support me. I learned then that you have no one to depend on but yourself.**

**You: That’s terrible, Jaehee.**

**Yoosung☆: I’m so sorry! I thought you grew up normally, like I did or even Jumin!**

**Jaehee Kang: It’s never that simple.**

**You: Part of growing up is realizing that other people get hit with really difficult things and everyone handles it differently.**

 

Yoosung and Jaehee had faced difficulties with losing their loved ones, yet neither of them seemed to have been as open with each other until now about it. You thought it was kind of odd, but Jaehee wasn’t the type of person to disclose such information so easily. Yoosung, as Zen once put it, was an emotionally unaware person when it came towards others.

And yet, while Jaehee became overly independent to the point where being so career focused was detrimental to her life, Yoosung became the total opposite. 

Maybe Yoosung and Jumin weren’t the only ones who needed help and a person to lend an ear to. Jaehee needed someone too... and Seven as well, based on those small, yet depressing quips and his fluctuating mood in the chats. Hell, Zen, and even V probably needed a friend as well.

“I’m going to befriend the hell out of these people,” you muttered.

 

**Jaehee Kang: You talk as if you’ve experienced this yourself.**

 

“Shit!” You reread what you wrote last. It was too emotional. You didn’t mean to come off that way.

 

**You: I did. Honestly, I don’t know how I changed after it. Don’t get me wrong, I** know **I changed. I became much more determined about what I wanted to do, but at the same time, I found myself floating through life. I don’t think I was wasting away like Yoosung because I wasn’t flunking my classes left and right, but I wasn’t quite like you, either, Jaehee.**

**Yoosung☆: I’ve been so selfish! Forgive me, the two of you! Especially Jaehee! T_T I’ve known you for years and I didn’t know!**

 

He used a crying emoji. You couldn't think of a chat where he didn't use that particular emoji, but unlike the dozens of other times he used it, this one had an actual weight to them.

 

**Jaehee Kang: You’re forgiven.**

**You: Seconded.**

**Jaehee Kang: Speaking of people going through tumultuous times, I was envious of Mr. Han for leading what I thought was an easy life, once upon a time. But like Yoosung, I learned that very same lesson and watched it all change before my eyes.**

**You: How is he? Did he show up to work?**

**Jaehee Kang: He’s in his office right now. He’s still not speaking to his father, but his productivity is at least back up.**

 

Even though Jaehee didn’t use the emoji where her chibi form expressed relief, you felt her stress diminishing. It didn't ease your concerns about Jumin, though.

 

**You: I’m so worried about Jumin!**

**Yoosung☆: Me too!**

**Jaehee Kang: He’s very private about his feelings so he looked fine on the outside but I am very worried as well. He hasn’t expressed any emotion about the wedding since...the wedding itself.**

**Yoosung☆: I feel so bad! I’m sure he must be suffocating.**

**Jaehee Kang: Yes. I believe something has changed for him.**

**You: Definitely. He must be tormented on the inside, but he doesn’t know how to express it and he’s only trying to now.**

**Jaehee Kang: Yes. It’s a difficult situation. But I have to get going. Mr. Han wanted me to collect some reports so I must go organize them.**

**Yoosung☆: You seem to always have work to do;;**

**Jaehee Kang: I’m used to it now;; Yoosung, please consider our words.**

**Yoosung☆: Alright.**

**You: Jaehee~ hang in there!**

**Jaehee Kang: Thank you. It will take a lot from me, but I can manage. Bye.**

 

Jaehee left the chatroom. 

 

**Yoosung☆: I have to start picking up.**

**You: Metaphorically or literally?**

**Yoosung☆: Both;;;**

**You:And Yoosung…?**

**Yoosung☆: Yes?**

**You: You can always depend on people for help in anything. If you need to vent, there’s the RFA, if you need help with math or writing a paper, there are tutors all over who will help you without judgement. Just know you have options and it’s not over until the fat cow sings.**

**Yoosung☆: I thought it was until the fat cow eats beans?**

**You: What in the world are you talking about?**

 

_ Is this something Seven told him? I swear that boy will believe  _ anything  _ Seven says.  _ You held your breath, waiting for Yoosung’s response. 

 

**Yoosung☆: Apparently cows can transmit this illness when they eat beans and then those beans are ground up for coffee that gets made into the milk and that’s how the phrase was born, along with Pass Out After Drinking Caffeine Syndrome.**

**You: Pass Out After Drinking Caffeine Syndrome? What?**

 

_ Whoever named it is a bit… _ you thought.  _ It’s Seven, dude. Seven did this.  _

 

**Yoosung☆: There’s a scholarly article written on it. Here’s the link. I actually used to have POADCS, but I stopped drinking coffee at 3AM. I couldn’t believe that this was real! Anyway, I have to clean up my life and room and start studying. Thank you!**

 

Yoosung left, leaving you to look at the uploaded photo, which was a screenshot of an article written on a wiki page. There were binary numbers written all over the article, lending you some suspicions as to who wrote it.

“A wiki page: always a great place to find sources,” you said out loud. No wonder Yoosung was failing his classes. “‘How? We’ll never know. That is still a mystery. I am just writing random BS to mock Yoosung. Thanks to cows and my imagination’. Oh dear god.” Yoosung definitely needed some help. He was ripe for Seven’s pranking.  

You sighed and logged out. It was now four thirty and, knowing your mom’s schedule, she would be gathering her kitchen supplies soon to make dinner. She always ate her dinners so early, claiming it worked wonders on metabolism. Perhaps it did since she was still fit. Well, the last time you saw her she was in good health.

You closed your eyes, listening to the  the dial tone. One ring. Two. Three. Your gut froze, wishing for that final ring so that it could go to voicemail. 

The voicemail indeed went off, giving you a momentary respite. “Hey, Mom. I was just wondering how you were doing and stuff. Give me a call when you can. I love you!”

You let out another sigh just after pressing the end call button, feeling relieved. 

But your heart dropped a moment later when the phone buzzed in your hand with “Mom” flashing on the screen. You gulped. “I can do this,” you said in a low voice. “Hey Mom!” You were amazed at the switch in octaves.

“Sorry I didn’t pick up, I’m not used to the phone ringing anymore these days since no one ever calls.” 

Your heart had already dropped, but it was now sinking into the ground. “Oh. Um. I just wanted to know how you were doing. I’ve been kinda busy lately.”

“No doubt, since a daughter of mine decided she wanted to pursue what she loved and ended up working at a retail store. Not even a good clothing store like Shanel or Jucci.”

_ Words can’t hurt me these shades are Jucci _ , you said to yourself, trying to emulate what you said to Yoosung earlier about Dyor sunglasses. But you didn't have your sunglasses on you so how could you act confident around her?

“Yeah, what can you—I mean,  _ I _ — say, it’s sale season.”

“My daughter, who once wore Dyor accessories—”

“Mom they were seasons old even when I bought them, don’t say that.” It wasn’t like you had grown up like Jumin. Your family was decently well off, but you considered yourself good with sales and knowing if something was worth buying. Your mom was twisting things and you tried to not let it get to you, key word being “tried”.

“So tell me, did they get tired of you? Did you finally realize that this is a winding path you’re headed down? That you’re going to end up like your father or uncle if you keep being reckless with your thoughts?” 

“No, it’s not like that...Well, it is since I got fired, but it’s not!” You wanted to groan at her for spinning things like this. She wasn’t like this before. In fact, she was encouraging once upon a time, but she changed within the past few years. It was also the reason why your relationship with her was so strained. 

“What happened? Did you oversleep? Were you a little too helpful? Or were you aloof?” She was listing your flaws like a catalog. Yes, this is why you never spoke to her and why Seven advised against it. This conversation was going so much worse than you’d imagined. It was pulling you apart and your mind was racing, but the words were coming all too fast.

“No! It was none of those things! Mom, why are you being like this? This is why I dread calling you.” The calls weren’t always like this. She was funny, helpful, and caring, but she changed and you often wondered if just by you not living with her and talking to her on a regular basis the way you did played a role in her change. The way she was speaking was clearly her being hurt by your actions.

“Then don’t call me if you’re going to be so pathetic like this. You’re my daughter, act like it.” Your heart was now falling through quicksand. It didn’t help that your mind was scrambling. It never knew how to handle confrontation, especially with the ones you loved most.

“Well, you’re my mom! You’re supposed to be happy for me, no matter what I’m doing. And it’s not like I’m failing. It’s just a tough world. You know this. This was my choice.”

“You’re unmarried with only a bachelor’s, no prospects, and no projects. Unless something changed. Then tell me.”

“It did. I found a new job, but it’s sort of a trial run. I have really high hopes!”

She was quiet, which was a good thing. You knew her well and her being quiet after being given new information was always a sign that there was light at the end of the tunnel. The worst of the conversation was over. Now the hard part would be refraining from any mention of a hacker potentially luring you to the apartment you were currently living in, the other hacker protecting you, the threats, and the really gorgeous businessman you were crushing on who happened to be married.

“What is it?”

“It’s this fundraising organization. They throw parties to increase awareness of common problems people face all over the globe. It’s pretty cool. They invite guests. Well, I’m the one doing the inviting. It’s actually really fun.”

“I give it a week,” she said, causing your stomach to drop and sink down to where your heart was.

“Funny how you say that, Mama. The party is actually next week. I’ll let you know if it went well.”

“I don’t like this. Charities and fundraisers are sometimes not what they claim to be and you know this.” You hated how her intuition worked. The RFA was legit, even though right now they clearly weren’t going through their best moment...but you had to think positively.

“It’s just a week.” You wanted it to be more, but then again, you wouldn’t have to be waiting on people hand and foot, barely surviving, so in reality it was for the best that V had given the RFA a week for the party. “And I like my fellow members. They’re good people. If anything, they’re like friends.”

She was quiet on the other end for a few seconds. “I have to make dinner, but it was nice speaking to you, my  _ daughter _ ,” she said the word “daughter” in such a honeyed tone that you knew she was meaning it sarcastically. You two had become strangers over time. 

It was true. Death and tragedy changed the two of you over time. 

“I’ll help you with your rent for next month only. If this job doesn’t work out, you’re coming back home and applying to a graduate program of my choosing.”

“What? And you’re going to choose my husband as well?” you said, hating that your words veered there without even thinking. Why did Jumin’s situation come to mind at the worst possible time?

“I would never go that far.” For a moment, she had returned to her old way of speaking, causing you to relax your shoulders and smirk at her words.

“Good. I’d like to choose my boyfriends, thank you.”

“As long as they’re not old or married or dangerous, then I’ll approve.” 

You blinked. “Of course. I wouldn’t be that dense to go after a married man. What am I, stupid?”  _ Yes, yes you are, _ the rationalist said. 

_ Mom’s probably picking up on it, too. Good job, homie joe, especially since you repeated it, _ the rebel side countered. You covered your forehead with your palm, knowing you inserted your foot in your mouth.

“I’d also not go after an old man or a drug dealer,” you said, trying to cover up your tracks, but it was probably too late.

“I need to go. Don’t be a stranger and wait three entire months before calling. And don’t go after married men or find yourself dead in the ditch.” You shook your head, knowing your motormouth caused her to pick up on it. 

“No Mom, I won’t pick up hitchhikers in my nonexistent car.”

“Your father did that once. His example is not one you should follow. Now, be good and go, dear,” she said, her voice softening again. It reminded you of times past before she became this shell of a person, bitter and angry at the world while you wanted to make it better. “Bye.”

“I love you, Mom.”

It hurt your heart and soul when she didn’t say she loved you back, instead, the line cut off. The feeling was anticlimactic, leaving you wanting more.

It was true, death changed everyone, but you weren’t going to let it damage you the way it did to your mother. If anything you were going to let it strengthen you. You had your chance and you were going to take it, despite everything.


	18. Chapter 17: Day 6, 6:53 PM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our hero pours himself into the chat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait! It's been sort of a wild month but the next chapter won't take too long to upload. Thank you so much for all of your patience and love. Also, much much thanks for Zentherainbowunicorm!!!

 

"Aww,” you said, watching a video of a cat on MeTube playing with a remote control on a table. He was a white, fluffy thing, though he looked nothing like Elizabeth the 3rd. Elizabeth’s face had an appropriately queenly quality to it, while this cat looked gruff, his fur sticking out in every direction. He dropped the remote, a clattering noise sounding off-screen. There was a glass cup located next to where the remote once was, and considering the remote was no longer present, the cat had to find a new diversion. He played with the glass cup like he did seconds earlier with the remote, bringing it to the edge of the table. 

“No, no, no!” the girl filming said, coming closer to the cat. The girl hissed at him, which was an odd noise to make at a cat, but it caught his attention, causing him to stare at the camera. The look on his face showed he clearly didn’t care. His whiskers twitched, but nothing else in his expression had changed.

The staring contest began between the camera and the cat. It really wasn’t as cute as other cats you’d seen in previous videos, but this cat had such a personality that you could practically feel on the other side of the screen. His stare continued, yet his paw slowly inched towards the cup. Then, in one swift motion, the glass cup disappeared, followed by the sound of glass shattering. The girl sighed in resignation during the final seconds of the video.

You laughed, moving onto another cat video on MeTube. There were hundreds of thousands—no— _ millions _ of these videos, and they were all sources of comfort. There was nothing else you wanted to do, and you didn’t want to replay the conversation you had with your mom or think about the words you’d exchanged.

On the bright side, you hadn’t gotten a three hour lecture about flirting with married men, or how working with charities and organizations was a one-way ticket to your doom. Her not lecturing you was always nice. But then again, all of these topics would be a lecture for another day. 

If only you could get Seven to buy you ice cream or give you the go-ahead to go get some. Cherry Marcia sounded good right about now. You shot him a text asking if it was okay to make an emergency convenience store run. It was already dark, but it was still lively outside. 

You backed out of messages and into the online feature. Jumin was there, all alone. Your heart pounded. When was the last time you heard from him? It felt like ages ago.

 

**Jumin Han: You’re here...Good.**

**You: I am. How’s the afternoon been for you?**

**Jumin Han: I was reading the conversation from earlier today.**

**You: I figured you knew all about Jaehee’s whole story.**

**Jumin Han: It is up to Assistant Kang to reveal what she deems is appropriate, but to answer that, yes.**

 

There was a small pause, but Jumin continued.

 

**Jumin Han: It is good to see Yoosung wanting to turn his life around, thanks to your gentle pushing.**

**You: It won’t be easy, but he’s backed against the wall.**

**Jumin Han: I ought to know that feeling of being cornered thanks to my father. What is it you call this feeling? “Upset”?**

**You: Yeah...Have you been doing alright today?**

 

He dodged the question the first time and there was no point in bringing up the dinner, a subject matter that was practically beat to death by everyone. Or maybe he was ignoring it entirely. Either way, you knew that by mentioning it you would push his buttons and that was the very last thing you wanted to do. 

 

**Jumin Han: If you ask, I have no choice but to say I’m fine, since I don’t want to make you amused.**

**You: This isn’t amusing in the slightest, Jumin.**

 

Somehow you knew what he meant. The chat was a place where the members of the RFA logged on to blow off some of their stress. Because of that, it was easy for you to imagine Zen or Seven (or maybe both) swoop in and make fun of Jumin for displaying his emotions. If that happened, then you would probably beat them up, or at least try. Maybe you’d hire Jaehee as muscle, with her black belt in judo. But she could never beat up Zen. You’d have to deal with him yourself.

But them being jerks wouldn’t make sense. Like Jumin said, there was already one conversation that took place hours ago with a heavy subject matter. 

 

**Jumin Han: No, to be honest...** this is very amusing **, the fact that I said I was upset. I would never try to reveal my emotions.** _ This isn’t like me. _ **For the past few months,** something important has been troubling me **. A lot of people say that I seem like I don’t care about anything, but that’s because most things around me aren’t important to me. I don’t consider them important so I don’t waste my feelings on them.**

**You: That makes sense.**

**Jumin Han: But...Elizabeth the 3rd, the RFA, and…** **_._ ** _ my father _ .  **These three are different. These are important to me.**

**You: And one of these things has basically stabbed you in the back.**

**Jumin Han: Yes. You know, I really like my father. When I was young, he always forgave me when I made mistakes. Not just my father, but the nanny, maid, gardener, my father’s girlfriends...everyone forgave me. Everyone was kind to me regardless of whether I was good or bad. And at one point I started hating my sheltered life.**

 

That was an unbelievably sad way to live. It was easy to be jealous of Jumin Han, but no one ever thought about if Jumin Han was jealous of anyone else or how  _ he  _ saw the world. That’s why he had such a poor view on life and the people around him.

 

**Jumin Han:** It was all the same and boring. **I thought from when I was very little that compliments or signs of happiness were just a part of routine.**

**You: That’s why you think expressing emotions is meaningless, since you always get the same reactions from people.**

**Jumin Han: Exactly. At one point I found myself not giving any compliments or signs of gratitude. Just like the expressions others show me are meaningless...** I thought it didn’t matter to the other person what I expressed.  **But as I grew up I realized. Everyone else except my father was nice to me to be on good terms with me.**

 

It reminded you of something your parents would tell you. Of course, they argued about the meaning behind these proverbs. Your mother was more pessimistic, while your father was willing to give others a chance.

 

**You: It reminds me of what my parents would say.**

**Jumin Han: What did they say?**

**You: “You can see faces but not hearts, minds, and souls”. My parents disagreed on the interpretation of that phrase, but I think in this context, it falls under my mother’s view.**

 

You waited for Jumin’s response. He was taking quite a while to respond, yet the server still indicated he was online.

 

**You: Uh...Jumin?**

**Jumin Han: Yes, everyone...I mean...** but my father…

 

You shook your head. “Let him take his time,” you said. You wanted to reel in his feelings and have him recognize them, but you couldn’t let your impatience get in the way. Today was a flurry of emotions: anger, disgust, dread, sadness...You experienced a whirlwind of emotions throughout today, but every single time you recognized and understood what was going on. 

Jumin didn’t. 

 

**Jumin Han: My father said nice things to me because I was his son, because he loved me so much.** My father...had no reason to ever use me like that. **He already had so much more than me. That’s why I liked my father. I believed that everything he said was** _ sincere _ .

**You: That his love for you was unconditional and real.**

**Jumin Han: Yes. I realized then that my father and I have a lot in common. There will always be people around us and we will always be unable to see as you put it, the minds, hearts, and souls of a person. We will have that much responsibility and our lives will be that lonely.**

 

Something wet was on your face and you wiped the tear falling off. You breathed in, ignoring the snot threatening to fall as well. It was a good thing he couldn’t see you being gross like this. 

 

**Jumin Han: And...at times we will feel this kind of emptiness that has no source. The feeling that you are perfectly and utterly alone even when you are surrounded by people.** Only my father and I understood. **So I never denied my father’s gestures to become closer to me. We give each other gifts, dine together, and go traveling.**

**You: He sounds like a wonderful father.**

 

You sniffled again. In a way, he was bringing back your memories as well. The memories of both your parents doing all those things together, being a happy family.

 

**Jumin Han: Thank you for saying that even in this situation. I know that he did his best as he could as my “father”. I know that. But...while growing up, when I saw that my father always changed companions, I realized that the emptiness my father feels is more complicated than mine. So I never liked his girlfriends, but I didn’t say anything.**  My father and I were simply different in that aspect.  **Of course, it was very difficult to tolerate all of them trying to flatter me. I knew that my father was growing more fond of women the older he got, yet I never expected for things to have gone as far as they did. The thought has never been far from my mind since the wedding, but I never could articulate them until recently.**

**You: You love your father, but you hate him for doing this at the same time.**

**Jumin Han: That’s exactly right. To be honest, I never wanted to put a fight with my father the way I did last night. The loyalty and trust I felt for him...If I didn’t respect my father the way I did, the company wouldn’t run properly.**

**You: So you feel like you’ve reached a dead end?**

**Jumin Han: Yes… I want to understand my father, but I can’t even understand how men can feel less lonely by being with women. To me, women were always unnecessary. Father said that Sarah would change that, but instead, my stance** on women has remained the same, if not  _ worsened _ **_._ **

 

There was nothing you could say on the matter. Instead your mind had gone blank.

 

**Jumin Han: If you know anything about what men and women feel towards each other, please explain it to me. I would like to understand my father.**

**You: I don’t think....**

 

You began to type, but the snot was falling down, causing you to run to the bathroom to blow your nose while preparing a rough draft of what you wanted to say. 

_ Dude, it’s the heart,  _ the rebel side said. The other side was silent.  _ Think about it. Think about how your heart races every time you talk to him on the phone, or hearing his laugh or the way he talks about Elizabeth the 3rd. It doesn’t make sense that you’re feeling this, but it happens anyway. There’s no set feeling or control of what’s going on. _

You sat down on top of the toilet lid and began to type again, feeling aware that seconds had passed without a response. 

 

**You: I don’t think you can simply understand how men and women feel towards each other because I can’t really explain it to you, Jumin. There’s really no set answer or any logistics involved...You just feel it through your heart.**

**Jumin Han: You feel through your heart? I see…**

 

Maybe your answer wasn’t good enough. It was definitely a perplexing question he gave you.

 

**Jumin Han: I find this pathetic.**

 

“Shit,” you said, placing your left hand over your mouth.

 

**Jumin Han: I can’t believe I talked about my feelings and my childhood...Even if I sounded pathetic, please don’t laugh at me.**

 

“Never,” you said. “If anything I’m crying. It’s too bad you can’t see me right now. Or maybe that’s good. I can’t decide which.” You momentarily got lost in your thoughts, forgetting that he was waiting for a response from you. “Oh wait, I mean, whoops.”

 

**You: I’m glad I got to hear your inner thoughts. It’s not good to bottle and isolate yourself the way you’ve been doing. If you need anyone, I’m here. We’re all here.**

**Jumin Han: Really? I’m glad to hear that. I hope to hear some of your thoughts someday.**

**You: Haha, they’re a bit...scattered, I’d say.**

**Jumin Han: I’d still be interested. Just by our conversations, you’ve demonstrated a depth I didn’t think possible.**

**You: I suppose...**

 

The chat was at a standstill and you stared at your phone screen, feeling awkward and flushed. 

 

**Jumin Han: We’ve talked enough about me. Surprisingly, I feel quite better. I’m sorry about going on about my personal life.**

**You: It’s not a problem, Jumin. Sometimes we just need to speak the truth.**

**Jumin Han: I would like to organize my thoughts…**

**You: I’ll be waiting to talk to you again if you need me. Rest up.**

**Jumin Han: Waiting for me? Alright.**

**You: We’ll talk later.**

**Jumin Han: I’ll get going then. Have a good evening.**

 

You leaned back, forgetting you were sitting on top of a toilet and nearly stumbled backwards. You got up, taking some more tissues and prepped a new playlist on MeTube all about cats. 

A new email came in from Hackers Chasing Hackers. They’d bought into the epic tale of Lucky Kim, grandmother of countless children, and they were ready to scope her out at the party. Their response was enough to draw out a smile from you. 

Seven’s text finally arrived.

 

**Ooh, you want a Cherry Marcia. Save some for me! It tastes really good with Honey Buddha Chips!**

 

“You know what, Seven, I’ll do better than that.” Because what was better than one Cherry Marcia? Two, of course. A walk to the convenience store would do you some good and you’d do anything to go out and clear your head. 

If only there was a way you could see Jumin and help him gather his thoughts. 

You took a deep breath, clearing your own mind as you got ready to finally leave the building, desperate for a breath of fresh air. Goodness only knew how much you needed it.


	19. Chapter 18: Day 6, 7:18 PM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our two heroines get really annoyed.

Lais chips and Cherry Marcia went surprisingly well together. Despite Seven’s suggestion, you weren’t in a bribing mood to get a bag of Honey Buddha Chips from the cashier. It also helped that the Lais chips were on sale, so you took what you could and rolled with it.

You wanted to binge on both pints of ice cream and all three bags of chips you bought, but there was no way that would end well so you practiced restraint by placing them in the back of the freezer and cabinets so you would be able to avoid them.

You opened the RFA app, hoping to catch Jumin there again, but instead there was already a full-fledged conversation between Seven and Zen.

“Oh no,” you said. This was the worst possible combination of the RFA members in the chat. You could handle either of them on your own, but this was something else entirely. It looked like they were playing a game just as you logged in.

 

**ZEN: Zen, the most perfect looking human in this world, has come here to take a break after hours of script reading.**

**707: And there, he found an old diary.**

**ZEN: Finding the initials JMH on the cover, he opens it.**

**707: And he finds the diary of a boy full of emotions.**

**ZEN: The words were all blurry**

**707: due to the tears he shed.**

**You: NOT ANOTHER WORD.**

**707: You’re supposed to start a new sentence, 606 Polaris.**

**You: DON’T YOU %#*♤●➽◇❤# DARE!!!!**

 

Seeing your text get censored like that clouded your vision even more. _Damn Seven and damn everything about him._

 

**ZEN: A lady should be mindful of her language.**

**You: I won’t be a lady until you two** **_act like men_ ** **. So with that, I’m going to tell you to kindly &%♤◇❤ off while you still have the chance, Zen.**

**707: But still lolololol Jumin got srs emotional today…**

**You: So? It doesn’t give you a reason to tease him…;; He’s been having a hard time. And I swear I will fight you in the back of an 7/8 parking lot.**

**ZEN: Oh no. She sounds serious.**

**You: You bet your ass I’m serious. And I’ll fight dirty so quit while you can.**

 

Jaehee would have to take a bribe, right? Maybe it would be a good idea to call her and then ask Jumin if he could do you a solid and pay her to fight them. Yoosung would be a terrible fighter, but maybe he could serve as a distraction while you tried to stab Seven with a shiv made out of an expired Honey Buddha Chip.

 _Wouldn’t a shiv from a potato chip break upon contact?_ the rational side asked.

_Who cares? As long as it scratches his pasty hacker ass._

 

**ZEN: We were a good duo while we lasted. I almost want to do a high five.**

**You: Shut up before I do something rash.**

**707: Jumin told us not to laugh at him but I feel like we did.**

**ZEN: We weren’t laughing at him, we were teasing him.**

**You: It’s the same. Seriously, guys? I don’t know if you two are being slow but the past few chats have been serious. I expected this from Seven because he has no concept of anything outside his hacker den, but Zen, you’re the so-called “most emotionally aware person” on here. Act like it cuz I’m really disappointed in you right now, WTF.**

 

The two of them were silent for a moment. _Good._

It was pretty shitty of Zen to kick Jumin while he was down. Well, both him and Seven, but Zen should have known.

 

**ZEN: It’s surprising. I guess that dude has emotions too~**

**You: Aren’t you worried? Just imagine how frustrated he must have been trying to spell out what he was feeling. You weren’t there, but it was clear to me he was struggling. Zen, you’re not the kind of person to bottle stuff up like that. What would you do if you did?**

**ZEN: I’d have done something really bad. Like join a motorcycle gang.**

 

At least you were getting through to him. Seven was going to be the bigger challenge.

 

**707: I shouldn’t say this after saying what I said but seeing Jumin act like that, I feel a bit worried.**

**ZEN: I don’t feel so good either.**

**You: It’s quite evident he isn’t in a good place. Imagine being totally loyal and loving to just one person your whole life and they sweep you under the rug like that. Unlike the two of you, he’s pretty quiet about emotions. How he went three whole months without even saying what he was feeling is a miracle to me.**

**707: I was starting to convince myself he was a robot since he never showed his emotions.**

 

Of course Seven used the heart shaped box for his text. To hell with him.

 

**You: SEVEN! If there was a way I’d boot you from the chat, I would.**

**ZEN: That’s surprisingly unoriginal of you, Seven...Didn’t you start the rumor that Jaehee was a robot before?**

**You: It doesn’t matter, because Jumin’s not a robot. The way I see it, he feels everything, but could never fully express it.**

**707: I agree for today.**

**ZEN: Maybe he feels too much.**

**707: To be honest, until now, Jumin seemed to lack emotion so I was gonna tell him about the** Emotional Labor Association. **Thought that might help Jumin feel something but now I doubt he’s a robot. Should we invite them to the party?**

**You: Go to hell, Seven.**

**707: T_T**

**ZEN: Anyways, it’s amazing to think that an entire chain of events brought this on. If anything, the last chat brought upon an emotion I didn’t know Jumin was capable of...how should I say it…**

**707: He showed some vulnerability.**

**ZEN: Right!**

**You: That’s the first and probably only sensible thing Seven will say tonight, and on that note, I did manage to successfully invite Hackers Chasing Hackers and I’m not afraid to sic them on him.**

 

Seven replied by using his crying emoji.

 

**ZEN: Didn’t you trick them into giving you $10,000, Seven?**

**707: No comment. But speaking of Hackers Chasing Hackers, I should go back to doing that.**

**You: Sit in the corner and think about what you’ve said, even though it’ll fly past you.**

**707: Okie. T_T Seven, over and out!**

 

Seven left, thankfully leaving you with Zen. You couldn’t handle anymore of his insanity. Zen, at least, was a beast you knew you could handle.

 

**ZEN: I did try to make fun of that Director Dude...I mean, Jumin, but I hope he cheers up.**

**You: I hope so too.**

 

You hoped he wouldn’t go off on another lecture about avoiding him, but this was honestly neither the time nor the place.

 

**ZEN: I had trouble with my family too.**

**You: Well, you joined a motorcycle gang at one point so it seemed pretty obvious. No parent would be okay with that.**

 

You hoped you weren’t going too out of line by assuming he joined a gang. In fact, the information seemed to line up based on what you knew about him.

**ZEN: The reason I did that… it’s complicated.**

**You: I understand. You know, we’re friends, too, Zen, even if I am disappointed in you. Something must have sparked your dislike of Jumin. What did he do to you? If he did something, then I’ll totally get it.**

**ZEN: …Jumin did nothing. It's just that everytime I look at Jumin, I see someone I hate. Someone I once trusted who stabbed me in the back.**

 

 _Wow, Zen and Jumin_ really _have their similarities_ , you thought.

 

**You: But Jumin didn’t do anything. He might be similar in personality or in looks or whatever, but he’s a totally different person. It’s kind of funny how different the two of you are and yet you both have such similar issues with love and betrayal.**

**ZEN: Love? I never said anything about love.**

 

Zen had momentarily put you in your place. Maybe you were mixing his penchant for drama with genuine emotion. It was time to backpedal.

 

**You: Sorry, I’m just making assumptions.**

**ZEN: You’re not wrong, though.**

**You: So in that sense, you have no right to make fun of him since you’ve already gone through similar circumstances. Like I said earlier, give him a chance, alright?**

 

It wouldn’t surprise you if the person who betrayed Zen was somehow correlated with him joining a gang. There were pieces there, but you weren’t sure how they fit. Maybe in time Zen would tell you.

 

**ZEN: Okay, it’s only been a day and I can’t just change my attitude towards him overnight.**

**You: I don’t expect you to, but please don’t call him a jerk.**

**ZEN: ...I’ve... said a lot of stuff about the two of you and I almost don’t want to say this in fear of you thinking things...but Jumin is a more compassionate and more tolerable human being when you’re around. I’ve noticed it these past few days. It actually makes me not want to call him a jerk anymore, if I’m being completely truthful.**

**You: You should be more open with Jumin. He really appreciates honesty.**

**ZEN: Easy for you to say, you’re a pretty sincere person. Besides, if I’m honest with him, we might end up fighting all night.**

**You: So? Grow up. Anyway, I’ve been holding my end of the bargain so you do yours, alright?**

**ZEN: Ya. I should go work out with those bodyguards. Don’t stay up too late. It does bad things to your skin.**

**You: Roger that. ‘Night, Zen!**

 

Zen left, leaving you to wonder if you really were meeting up your end of the promise the two of you made. The last chat was the first time the two of you had spoken in hours. Nothing Zen would have disapproved of had transpired today. On one hand, it was sort of a relief not having Zen breathe down your neck with his worries, but on the other, there was an ache inside you that wanted to reach out to Jumin and be close to him in whatever way possible.

The problem was that said ache wasn’t growing duller—it was the opposite, growing more and more intense. You circled around Rika’s living room, your thoughts racing.

 _But it’s just a crush, right?_ you had to say to yourself.

Yet in the past you had crushed on guys before and it was never as strong as the one you had on Jumin Han. If only you could see him, but that was currently not possible.

Yet you wanted to see him, more than anything.

But how the hell were you going to meet Jumin? He didn’t even know what you looked like. Well, he should have known since you were using an actual selfie as your icon in the chats, but the internet always left room for doubt. For all you knew, perhaps it crossed his mind that you were using some kind of catfish image, as if you were even capable of that.

You decided it was a good idea to look up catfish based stories as a result. Maybe watching others suffer would take away from your own and from the RFA’s troubles.

That was the perfect distraction.

* * *

“Chief Secretary Kang, you have a guest,” the receptionist said on the other line of the buzzer.

Jaehee didn’t hear her. She was scanning the last few members of Zen’s fanclub and none of them matched the man in Zen’s photos so far. It was unfortunate how the whole thing was being handled.

Now the federal authorities were involved and there were photos being leaked on social media sites with blurry images of Mr. Han’s guards and a distraught Zen leaving his apartment with cop cars parked in front of the building. It was understandably the topic of the day in the forums.

The worst part was that Mr. Han hadn’t been paying attention to the situation in a way he usually would have, instead focusing on his strained relations with his father. If Mr. Han hadn’t allowed himself to be distracted by this, then the debacle with Zen could have been much cleaner and kept under wraps.

Jaehee thought her boss’s emotional breakdown came three months too late, surfacing at the worst possible time just when he was most needed. She had read previous chats, watching him find solace with the new girl. Perhaps this was what he needed to do: spill everything to the chat. The faster he recovered, the faster he could get back on track with work and the potential disasters plaguing the RFA.

“Chief Secretary Kang?” the receptionist said again.

Jaehee’s ears perked up. “Yes?”

“You have a guest.”

“Impossible. We have no guests scheduled for the rest of the day.”

“This one is insista—Excuse me, Chief Secretary—” her voice became flustered. Jaehee was momentarily confused as to what was going on. Was someone barging in? “Mrs. Han! Wait!”

Jaehee's confusion went away at the mention of Sarah’s name, causing her to roll her eyes. A moment later, Sarah barged in her office, the strong scent of her perfume causing Jaehee’s empty stomach to churn. She really didn’t want Sarah distracting her, but Sarah wasn’t the type of person to stay for very long.

“Good evening, Mrs. Han,” Jaehee said, keeping her voice even. Ever since Sarah failed to get Jaehee fired Jaehee could see just how apparent Sarah’s dislike of her was. Sarah was never subtle with her facial expressions, her gaze narrow and her arms crossed tight against her chest. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?”

Sarah sneered. “Good evening, Assistant Jang. My husband is being wayward again so to get through to him, I must speak with you.”

Jaehee nodded, not feeling the need to correct her on mispronouncing her surname. Sarah probably did it on purpose to get a reaction or to self-satisfy herself in whatever way she could. Jaehee knew that ever since the incident at her apartment, Sarah wanted to feel in control of her husband’s assets and employees.

Except C&R wasn’t Sarah’s company in the first place, and it would never be hers.

But, at the end of the day, Jaehee had to admit there was something amusing about Sarah bulldozing in on C&R premises and trying to take power when none of it would ever be meant for her. It was also amusing that Sarah was unaware of the irony that the employees of C&R were instructed to always report Mr. Han as absent whenever she visited. Jaehee thought Sarah must have surely gotten wind of that by now, but every so often she would visit the company and demand an audience with him. Jaehee had to admire her tenacity.

Sarah strode around the room, her eyes peering over to Jaehee’s computer screen. “Is this what my husband’s assistant is doing? Slacking off by going on some no-name actor’s fan site?”

Jaehee’s line of vision focused on Sarah, giving her an empty gaze. She didn't owe her any explanations. “I was not aware that you became an inspector, Mrs. Han. The role doesn’t seem to suit you.”

The truth was that in her position there were never any inspections, with the exception of Mr. Han’s end-of-the-year performance reviews, but Jaehee wanted to see her reaction. And Sarah delivered, her body becoming rigid as she flipped her hair with forced nonchalance before digging into her purse. “I don’t want to be in this musty office any longer than I need to, but I have no other choice. Make sure this reaches my husband before the end of the night or I will let Mr. Chairman know of your incompetence.” Sarah placed an envelope on her desk.

“Of course.” _I_ _appear to have no other choice, do I?_ “Then in that case, it was a pleasure to see you again, Mrs. Han. You must surely get going.”

Sarah’s eyes narrowed, giving Jaehee a once-over in the same way the cliched mean girl would do to other girls in the books Jaehee used to read before working for Mr. Han. “Yes. And remember your place,” she said before leaving.

Jaehee didn’t care about whatever empty threats Sarah would use against her. Sarah failed once before in her attempt to remove Jaehee from the company and if she tried again, it would only work against her.

She uncovered the envelope.

A ticket to the opera house for tomorrow afternoon. The running time was three hours, not including possible intermissions.

 _More work for me,_ Jaehee thought.

She got up from her chair and left her office, arriving in front of Mr. Han’s door. “Mr. Han? Are you in there?” She had a key card for entry inside, but she rarely used it except for the occasions where he needed her to retrieve an item and other small favors of the sort.

“I’m busy, Assistant Kang,” he said from the other side.

“I won’t be here long,” she said, “but it appears I had a visitor minutes ago and I’m required to deliver this to you. Whatever you do with this it’s up to you.” She just wanted the envelope out of her hands so she could go back to finishing up her database scan.

Mr. Han didn’t open the door. “Just slip it under my door and leave.” Jaehee nodded in resignation and followed his directions, as neurotic as they were, and went back to her office.

The scan had finally completed and there were no matches to the identity of Zen's stalker. She would have to send this information to Luciel via text, but in the meantime, she needed to call V. But before that, Jaehee opened a large drawer to the lower left side and pulled out the Pepfreeze located next to her collection of duct tapes and lint brushes, spraying the room so that Sarah’s scent wouldn’t linger. That way she wouldn't have any more distractions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much to Zentherainbowunicorn for betaing! And thank you so much to everyone for all of your wonderful and motivating comments! They give me life!


	20. Chapter 19: Day 6, 9:20 PM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our heroine's heart starts to change over all else.

 

The current story you were reading about was probably the craziest out of all the catfish stories out there. This was about an American football player who fell in love with a girl on the internet and the relationship got serious, but the girl developed cancer and died in a car accident on the way to the hospital.

The story was huge in America and the football player’s sadness over his girlfriend’s death became a topic of conversation, especially when his team made it to the finals and won the championship, making him an inspiration to everyone all over the nation.

But the morning after, there was a tip sent to a major news magazine about the girl being a fictitious entity, which soon turned out to be true upon investigation (otherwise it wouldn't be making sense since, after all, the topic was about catfishes). The poor man went from a national inspiration with a movie in the works to a laughingstock and a media firestorm. 

The worst part was that the catfish in question was apparently a close family friend of the man who claimed to be in love with him, but was too afraid to act on it, which led to the rumors that it was orchestrated for publicity. Whether or not it was a publicity stunt was a question for the ages because the story and the man’s career died down in the years after.

It definitely was a good enough tale to take your mind off of the stresses plaguing you. Except now you knew all about how to identify a catfish. 

Your mother’s words about how your father once picked up a hitchhiker reverberated in your mind, reminding you how you were just as stupid and gullible as all of these people in the catfish centered stories.

It made you think about how you ended up here, and how easily you were fooled into downloading a then-mysterious app and following a stranger’s directions. At the time, all you could recall was how you lost your phone during your junior year of high school and your father kept telling you that everything would be alright. Even if it were stolen, then that meant the new owner did it out of desperation, emphasizing how important it was to understand the ways others saw the world. You mother dismissed the notion, knowing that people often stole phones to sell their parts for quick cash due to selfishness. 

Maybe they were both right. 

But you wanted to be the bigger person and help this Unknown person out.

You didn’t think it would have ever turned out to be this way, yet you didn’t regret any of your choices one bit. 

Your phone vibrated against Rika’s desk, taking you out of your thoughts. Jumin’s name was displayed on the screen. Your breath hitched, holding in the elation and anticipation of hearing his voice once again after what felt like so long.

“It’s me,” he said. It was cute that he always said that whenever you picked up. Even with all the drama, it still brought a smile to your face. “I hope you’re not busy. I wanted to talk to you. How has your day been?”

You scoffed and you heard him let out a little laugh on the other side. “Today’s been something, alright.”

“I agree. Yet the day is not over.”

“Like Yoosung said, ‘it’s not over until the fat cow eats beans’.”

“Perhaps today will teach Yoosung how to mature.”

“I saw the article Seven wrote. It’s pretty out there, to say the least. ‘Thanks to cows and my imagination’. Really?”

“Luciel has an active imagination. And Yoosung is a lot more intelligent than he would believe. You are aware that I am interested in having Yoosung intern in one of the departments that is hiring, but I did try to persuade Luciel to work for C&R, but to no avail,” he said, being coy.

“Sounds like you’ve tried to buy off everyone,” you said, returning his tone.

“I know what’s valuable and what isn’t. The ways I can improve my company are limitless, but if I’m not careful it can crumble down in an instant.”

“So the higher you climb the farther you fall,” you said.

“In a sense, but the pressure has been present since before I was born. To be honest with you, I want to go somewhere where no one can find me and just rest for the day.” He was quiet soon after, his breath irregular against the line as if surprised by what just came out of his mouth. “This is really not like me to say that.”

You got up from Rika’s chair, walking to the window where you could see downtown come alive. “Where would you want to go?”

“I’ve been to so many places on business but I can’t remember the last time I derived enjoyment from them. Perhaps I could purchase a secluded island in the Pacific.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad.” You tried to not imagine Jumin sunbathing in a remote island or drinking out of a coconut with a straw poking out, and you definitely tried to not include yourself in it and  _ most definitely  _ not with him wearing as little clothing as possible. The rational side banished the thoughts to oblivion. This was neither the time nor place.

“But it’s only a wish. I know it’s not realistically possible. It will not only damage the company, but it will damage those who work hard for the company. I can only express this sentiment to someone outside of C&R, someone who will not judge my wishes.”

You shook your head, watching the cars speed by. The motions were hypnotic to watch. “I see. So it’s a wish in vain, then. But you have to give yourself credit. You’re thinking of the thousands of people in your employ before yourself.”

“If I don’t do it, then no one will. Certainly not my father. And yet I don’t think my motivation has ever been this low before.”

“Jumin, it’s all right to take a break. Just hang in there.”

You heard him sigh against the line. “Assistant Kang was at my door a few hours ago and dropped off a ticket to the opera house for tomorrow in the afternoon. No doubt my father wants myself and Sarah to join him during company hours. It’s enough to count as a break, but I’ll be forced to work under even more duress with them. But thank you for saying that even when I’m being this pathetic.”

“You’re not being pathetic, Jumin. You’re acting as normal as any person can. Do you even know the emotions I was forced to go through today? It was quite the assortment.”

“I’d like to hear them.”

You caught your breath, his words stunning you for a second. “Would you? I mean, this isn’t really the time to be talking about me.”

“The purpose of a phone call is for both parties to speak. But if you don’t wish to—”

“You’re right,” you said, feeling somewhat flustered.

“I'm listening.” You didn't want to go overboard with your thoughts, but there was a trace of a smile in those words. You tried to picture the man in the photos with a smile meant only for you, but you shook off the notions.

You told him about the various emotions you felt today and how they all came with a cause, focusing on the ones based on the chats alone. Panic, excitement, anger, frustration, sadness, annoyance, grief, disgust, even aggression. 

And yet Jumin listened and hung onto your every word.

“So then Seven said he wanted me to consider inviting the Emotional Labor Association to the party.”

“And your exact words were ‘Go to hell, Seven’,” he said, finishing for you.

“Yeah! That was exactly it! You could tell I was pretty pissed off at him about it, then. How is it that you, me, Jaehee, and Yoosung were all pouring our hearts out in the chat today, and yet they just had to target you? I had to say  _ something _ ! And even though Zen eventually got the message, Seven’s a more hopeless cause.”

“Ah. I can hear the passion in your voice,” he said, his amusement palpable.

“Well duh, they offended you! And you’re one of my dearest friends! And I don’t care if I’m shorter than the two of them, I know I can take them on! When you’re as determined as I can get, nothing can get in your way.”

“I like the way you think. Yet you’re willing to set aside all logic to fight them.”

“I’ll fight anyone for you,” you said, feeling your face getting red. “Just say it and I’ll be there...after the party, anyway. I don’t know how long Seven wants me trapped here. I’m pretty sick of it and I'm getting sort of sick of him, too, since he's being like this. So, uh, yeah, if someone upsets you, I'll be there to help.”

Jumin was quiet again. “As much as I’m feeling the hatred for my father, I would not wish for you to fight him.”

“Because it wouldn’t be fair?” 

He laughed against the other line. “Because I want him to know that people find happiness in their own ways.”

“And you love him, despite everything,” you said with resignation. Your fingers tapped against the glass of Rika’s window. It felt cold against your fingers and you moved them reflexively. Your fingerprints made a mark on the glass. Was that how you were acting with Jumin? A glass wall where the touch of your fingers were printed and on display.

_ Dude, that doesn’t make any sense, _ the rational side said. 

“And whatever happens with my marriage and, later his, I will not fall,” he said. “I just don’t like being on bad terms with my father. Have you ever had troubles with your parents?”

“I have.”

“It must have been very difficult. You can tell me if you want.” Perhaps it was time to explain a little bit to him. He’d understand. 

“I spoke to my mother today for the first time in months.”

“Months? It’s not good to separate yourself from family like that, especially a parent.”

“I know. We used to be incredibly close and we’d talk every day, but lately she’s become so bitter and enraged. She disapproves of my lifestyle but I’ve done nothing wrong. I don’t smoke or do drugs, I don’t spend money on anything I don’t need outside of food, I have a degree.” It was nothing that he’d be able to understand, but you immediately felt better after saying it.

“What is it that she wants from you?”

“She wants me to go to a grad program of her choice, live a life as different from her and my father’s as possible. In other words, she doesn’t want me to make the same mistakes they did, or rather, end up having the same fate as them.” It wasn’t quite it, though. Your mom would probably be elated if you somehow studied a program similar to hers. In your opinion (and probably hers as well), was that her only mistake was being with someone who eventually faced a tragic end, and that wasn’t a mistake by any means.

“It sounds reasonable.”

“Does it? It gets in the way of my happiness.”

“If I were a parent, I wouldn’t want my child to repeat my mistakes.” You could definitely see why he had that perspective considering everything going on with his father, but you had to disagree with him. 

You felt your face growing hot. It didn’t matter that you had a major crush on him, you were willing to fight him on this. “But I  _ won’t  _ repeat their mistakes. That’s where they’re wrong. I can do  _ better _ . So tell me now that I’m being unreasonable.”

He was at a loss for words. “It would considerably help my understanding of your situation if I were given a background.”

You weren’t sure if you wanted to give away too much of that, especially on the phone. “My mother’s a college professor. Sometimes.”

“What does she teach?”

“Microbiology. Well, it’s a lot more complicated than that. She’d give me a four hour lecture on how just calling it microbiology is generalizing a broad field of work. It would be like how Zen generalized corporations yesterday, but let’s just keep it at that before the sun rises.” 

“Alright,” he said, clearly holding in questions. You moved your phone away from your face to check how much time had elapsed since you started speaking. Over an hour had passed, causing you to be momentarily shocked by how fast time went by whenever you were around him. You put the phone back barely registering the question he asked.

“Sorry, I didn’t get that,” you said, feeling embarrassed. He was so attuned to you, but you were away for just a few moments. 

“You’re interested in microbiology?”

You laughed, your laughter turning into a snort. “Hell no!” He laughed with you a moment later. “If I were interested, you’d think I’d have a problem with her? Also, I suck at science. No, I want to become more like my dad. He did overseas work for several humanitarian groups. They actually met abroad.”

You didn’t want to go on about it to him in greater detail. That would open a floodgate that wasn’t appropriate for what should have been a simple phone call. 

“That’s what you’re interested in,” he said. It was clearly a statement, yet the way he said it indicated it was more to himself than to you, as if it was a discovery.

“Yes. I don’t want to do  _ exactly  _ what my father did, but I felt inspired to go down my own path. The way the members of the RFA talk about Rika is how I feel towards him. I think that’s why I’ve been able to get along with all of you so easily.”

He didn’t say anything for a moment, as though to process it. “And yet this is your first bout with coordinating and leading a professional humanitarian organization?”

You made a noise of affirmation. “When I got out of school, I didn’t think it would be this difficult to find work. I could find things to do for weekends and seasons, but I kind of need to put food on my plate. I know, it’s the commoner life, but…”

“Why not mention your parent’s names, then, or have them help?” It was unsurprising to you that Jumin would bring up using connections. 

“Mentioning my father would have helped, perhaps, but I’d rather let my abilities speak for themselves. And to be honest, I enjoy a good challenge. Have I mentioned I can be really stubborn?”

“I wouldn’t call it that.”

“Then what would you call it?”

“I’d call you strong-willed. I don’t understand why you’d choose to go down that path, but I can’t help but admire your persistence.” You felt your face go red at his words.

“Well, once I’m determined, I’m not the kind of person who’ll stop. Just to give you an example, I’ve succeeded in wrangling some of those guests. I’ve got seven organizations so far so we’re almost halfway to our minimum goal.”  _ I did reject a potential guest, but Seven was being an ass.  _ “But fifteen isn’t enough. I’d like twenty or twenty-five guests. Maybe more.”

“You’re ambitious.”

“I guess I got that from my mother.” You sighed. “I’d like to just get back to getting along with her. We were as close as you were with your father.”

“I’d tell you some of my advice, but I don’t know if my solutions will help you… I can be very unemotional when it comes to relationships. Perhaps you’d be better at handling them without my input.”

“I don’t care; tell me your thoughts, Jumin.”

“Call her again tomorrow.”

“Huh?”

“Call her again tomorrow,” he repeated, as if stating a simple fact. “In business, it is important to establish a connection. At first, it may prove difficult to navigate through the conversations and find common ground, but in time, perhaps you may find things easing for the two of you.”

It sounded absurd. Your immediate reaction after to talking to your mother was to hold off on talking to her for six months, no, a year. She was so harsh and frigid. But could Jumin be right? “I’ll...I’ll think about it. It doesn’t hurt to consider it.”

“Of course. My advice may be unemotional, but nevertheless, I’ve read somewhere that sometimes people just talk about their problems not to receive any advice but just to have someone just listen, but you do more than that. I don’t know what it is, but talking with you makes me...comfortable.”

“It feels natural, doesn’t it?”  _ Dude he’s married. This is supposed to be Sarah’s role,  _ not  _ yours. _

“To be honest, I’ve never felt this with Elizabeth the 3rd, even.”

_ WHAT _ , all facets of your mind screamed. You were in such shock that your phone nearly slipped from your hand. You used the other hand to keep it steady. His cat, who he—

“I’d like to get to know you bet—”

_ Oh no, he’s saying something scandalous! Quick, say something before something goes wrong!  _

_ NO! DON’T! LET HIM FINISH! YOU WANT TO GET TO KNOW HIM TOO! _

You felt your entire body growing hot. You needed to pour a glass of cold water after this. “Oh my gosh, Elizabeth the 3rd, I feel so bad for neglecting her! How is she doing?” You prided yourself on a good save.

“She’s with me right now.” So he was at his penthouse. It made sense as to why he was able to call you.

“Like in your room?”

“On my lap.”

The mental image of the two of them together was definitely cute. It also served as something to combat the heat you were feeling. But it wasn’t enough. “Cute.”  _ Ugh, stupid! Don’t provoke him! _

_ But I was referring to the cat! _

_ You liar. _

“Can I speak to her?” you asked.

“Elizabeth the 3rd has never had a phone conversation with anyone but myself. Assistant Kang says she can get vocal.” You were unable to hold in your laughter. Of course he had phone calls with his cat when he was away on business. It sounded unbelievably cute, though annoying for Jaehee. Maybe you could take her place when all of this was said and done with. “I’ll give you a minute with her.”

“Alright. I’m ready.” You waited a couple of seconds. “Hey Elizabeth!”

“Meow.” You were surprised at how humanlike her meow sounded. 

“Oh my gosh, you sound adorable! You’re a lucky cat and I hope you can understand that you have such a wonderful owner. I know he’s been going through a lot, but you gotta stay with him and support him through these difficult times. I mean, you do that anyway but…” You figured he had the phone close to her little ear.

“Meow!” she said, her meow so excitable. It seemed as if she liked to be on the phone, even with a stranger. You took a deep breath. Her meow sounded close enough to the phone so that Jumin wouldn’t hear.

“This is between you and me, but I’d like to get to know Jumin better, too. And you too, of course. Protect him, alright kitty? I care a lot about him. More than he should know.”

“Mrow!”

You waited a few seconds before you heard a rustle. “It’s me. You can’t see her but Elizabeth the 3rd is pawing in my phone’s direction. She must have liked you.”

“Tell her I liked her too. I look forward to meeting her.”

There was a momentary silence and you didn’t know who would speak first. “It’s getting late. We’ve spoken for almost two hours now. Rest up.” You couldn’t believe him, but when you looked over at your phone, the call time was at and hour and fifty minutes. 

You didn’t want to leave him; if anything, you wanted to stay with him for even longer. Two hours seemed to have passed in the blink of an eye, especially compared to the way your days had regularly gone by since you started inhabiting this apartment.

“Alright. Sleep well, Jumin.”

“Goodbye then.”

You looked outside Rika’s window again, gazing at the sky. The constellations weren’t visible, but you could see the moon. You remembered Seven said that looking to the sky had a calming effect, but your heart was racing and it felt like it was going to tear its way out of your chest and start marathoning. 

Nearly forty-eight hours ago, you acknowledged that fact that you were attracted to him, but now, you couldn’t just acknowledge that it was as simple as that any longer. No. If this pattern continued and you kept on being as reckless as you currently were being, you knew you’d be on the fast track to falling for him hard and fast.

But the truth was that you were already starting to fall for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for zentherainbowunicorn for beta-ing and for everyone who has read this story and kudos/commented/bookmarked. All of it gives me such life and joy.


	21. Chapter 20: Day 6, 11:11 PM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While our heroine is busy with the object of her affections, elsewhere plans are made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much again to Zentherainbowunicorn for beta-ing! Now please enjoy the conclusion to Day 6 (finally).

 

“My misery is slaying me (and I), I must profess, I still believe (still believe), When I'm not with you I lose my head, Give me a clue…” Yoosung was singing his heart out while cleaning his dorm, his headphones on and connected to his cell phone. The song was in English, a classic song that was popular when he was a toddler and he knew most of the lyrics. Yoosung couldn’t sing to save his life and his English wasn’t the best, but the song was infectious and he wanted to sing every part of the song. Yoosung tried his best to sing along in low voice, thinking if he did, then no one could hear him through these paper thin walls, including the bodyguards who were stationed in the van outside the building.

His living space was starting to look good. His plushies were now laying on top of his pillows, which had finally been cleaned and no longer reeked of drool. All his clothes were in the hamper, ready to be hung up on his closet.

The day was almost over, and in forty-nine minutes, Yoosung Kim would turn a new leaf.

 _Wait, forty-nine minutes? That means it’s eleven-eleven!_ Yoosung closed his eyes and made a wish, the music still playing in his ears, but he no longer still listened. _I wish for Rika to be happy where she is. I want to make her proud. I want to do well at the party and help out the most I can. I want to get good grades and help puppies like Sally...And I want a girlfriend. Is that too selfish?_

Yoosung Kim wanted a girlfriend probably more than he wanted the top rank in the Shooting Star Server, if he had to be honest with himself. A part of him regretted rejecting all the girls (and boy) who asked him out, but Yoosung didn’t want to be in a relationship with someone just for the sake of being in a relationship. He had to remember he rejected all those people because he wasn’t feeling that “Yoosung Impact” as Rika would put it. It wouldn’t be fair to the other person involved if he wasn’t completely crushing from the first moment of impact. However, he also cared about getting into SKY University back then.

He remembered having Hawaiian shaved ice with Rika one summer when the topic came up. Sally was with them, and Rika made sure to bring treats just for her.

“Rika,” he said, “girls keep asking me out at school, but it doesn’t feel right to say yes.”

Rika would smile at him, her smile as bright and warm as the sun; a smile Yoosung still dreamed of; a smile he wanted, but could never emulate. “It’s okay to say no, Yoosung. When I first met V, he asked me out right on the spot, but there was that Yoosung Impact,” she would say, referring to the term meteor, which was his namesake. “The moment the meteor collided with the ground and I knew that nothing would ever be the same. Someday it will feel like that for you and you’ll just know.” Yoosung always felt a mild embarrassment towards the subject of his name growing up, but for the first time, Rika made meteors seem special and heavenly instead of just a boring old rock he had to learn about in science class.

If only he had known just how right Rika was with just how much impact falling for V was… And yet it was all V’s fault, especially for the way it all ended.

“Whenever you think about falling in love, think about how unique your name is and go with your heart.”

Yoosung shook his head, astounded by how real the memory felt even now. It was moments like these where her image was so real in his mind’s eye. Moments like these where he felt that push, and yet those moments were far too fleeting.

Except in recent times, ever since…

Yoosung’s phone buzzed.

 

**707: Helloooooo anyone here?**

**Yoosung☆: OMG**

**707: Lol, it’s you.**

 

It looked like no one but him and Seven were online.

 

**707: Why omg?**

**Yoosung☆: Because you were being mean to Jumin earlier! Seven, I know you think everything’s fun, but not that!**

 

Yoosung hovered over to where the emoji dropbox was and selected an angry Yoosung chibi made in his likeness.

 

**707: You getting mad is like giving a baby chick a knife. So cute >_<**

**Yoosung☆: I’m a cutie, but that doesn’t change that I’m still mad at you.**

**707: I wouldn’t be worried lololol. Something tells me that Mista Trust Fund Kind is seeking solace with Agent 606 Polaris. Lucky man.**

 

Now that he thought about it, she _did_ seem to have an inclination towards Jumin, but Yoosung thought it was because out of all the members of the RFA, he was the saddest one. But he was married and she didn’t seem like the kind of girl who would mess around in that situation, especially after the last chat he had with her and Jaehee. She was wise and emotionally attuned to the members of the RFA.

Just like Rika.

Or maybe not just lke Rika, but...

Either way, Yoosung couldn’t see it happening.

 

**Yoosung☆: Why don’t I get a cool nickname?**

**707: She already gave you some. Yooyoo, Yoohoo, Yooboo lololololololol**

**Yoosung☆: But those are all baby nicknames.**

**707: She’s going to be so hurt when she reads this, Yooyoo lololol.**

 

Yoosung huffed, feeling a sudden decrease in his energy levels. He took off his dirt-filled apron and sat down on his bed.

 

**707: I was gonna make this worth your while, Yooboo.**

 

He used one of his kissing emojis, causing Yoosung to recoil.

 

**707: Yoosung, do u still want to eat Honey Buddha Chips? Lol**

**Yoosung☆: What’s with you? You’re not just gonna give me them to me.**

**707: Nah. I might.**

 

If Seven could have godlike focus just by eating Honey Buddha Chips, then maybe it could help Yoosung on his quest to get his life back on track.

 

**Yoosung☆: Really?**

**707: Ya.**

**Yoosung☆: T_T Just bring what you have left over to the party. That’ll work!**

 

Yoosung missed hanging out with Seven, if he was being completely honest with himself. If there was one thing he was looking forward to doing during the party, it would be the chance to hang out with Seven once again. They met a long time ago in passing, but Yoosung could barely remember due to being busy, which was ironic comparing what would happen years later in the present.

It wasn’t until Seven came back years later when they crossed paths again and bonded through a love of old-school arcade games, hitting up the neighborhood arcade and getting high scores in everything, even in the dancing games, which Yoosung was certain Seven rigged because Yoosung had untrained feet.

 

**707: Ya.**

**Yoosung☆: But,** **_you’ll really give some to me?_ **

**707: Ya.**

**Yoosung☆: Stop saying ya! ARE YOU SERIOUS?**

**707: I told you, I am. Do you want Honey Buddha Chips, the very same chips I’ve been eating five times a day?**

 

Yoosung’s heart raced. There had to be a catch. Getting the cashier at the nearby convenience store to give him a bag of chips was no easy feat.

 

**Yoosung☆: OF COURSE!! NO WAY~**

**707: Yes way.**

**Yoosung☆: What? Is this some kind of test? Are you going to test me or something, Seven?**

**707: lololol I’ve been doing some thinking and u have to get happy. And eating Honey Buddha Chips is the easy way to get happy,** **so no test!** **Do u wanna eat happiness, or not?**

 

Yoosung could barely contain himself. His whole body was quaking, which caused him to drop his phone by accident. He dropped down a moment later and typed with elation, not caring he was on the phone.

 

**Yoosung☆: I want!!**

**707: Okie. Done. Number 0 in line. Yoosung. Come to Seven’s house tomorrow and you will be gifted with Honey Buddha Chips.**

**Yoosung☆: Seriously?**

**707: Ya.**

**Yoosung☆: Yay! I don’t have to eat the same bag for two weeks now! I can eat one bag at a time~!!**

 

Yoosung scrolled to the dropbox where the emojis were and used his happy one. Then he realized something.

 

 **Yoosung☆: But uhm…** **your house?**

 

He used a confused emoji this time around, not quite remembering if he had ever been to Seven’s place. He was pretty sure he did...maybe...but he couldn’t remember. He probably did after Rika passed, but that period of time was nothing but a blur to him.

 

**707: Ya. Then see you tmr! Number 0 in line. Good luck! >_< Anyway I need to go catch the hacker! Seven to the rescue! Get out of the way, Yoosung Kim!!! Lol Peace!**

 

**Yoosung☆: Wait, no Seven! You can’t just leave!**

 

But it was too late. Seven already logged out of the chat.

 

**Yoosung☆: I need the address! And I have school tomorrow so I need a time. When should I go? Seven when you read this text me, okay?**

 

Yoosung logged out of the chat.

He still had loads of cleaning and organizing to do and he wanted to be done before midnight so that he could have a full night’s sleep. Tomorrow he was going to turn a new leaf and become a brand new Yoosung! The one Rika would look at and be proud of...and score a sweet, savory bag of Honey Buddha Chips while at it!


	22. Chapter 21: Day 7, 2:00 AM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our heroine is informed about an ominous dream.

 “Huh? Where am I?” Zen’s surroundings were unlike anything he had ever seen before.

He took in the odd environment that lay before him. There were mountains in the background, but near him was a small meadow. There was a cliff straight ahead from where Zen was standing, indicating he was in a lower range. His breathing felt normal, too, so he couldn’t be too high up.

When he turned around, he was met with what looked like a castle with a very distinctive teal-colored dome roof... _No, that’s not it_ , Zen thought. It wasn’t a castle...It took Zen a while to figure it resembled a temple. He was an atheist, but he remembered he had to research temples for a few roles. So was this another gig?

“Why am I here? Am I on a movie set? But I can’t see any cameras. What is this?”

His role in _Dandelion_ didn’t have any scenes taking place at a church or in the mountains, so that didn’t make any sense.

“Meow~” a woman’s voice said.

 _But women don’t meow,_ Zen thought. Jumin meowed, but he did it to annoy Zen.

“Huh? A cat?”

“Meow~” the humanlike voice said again.

“Where? Where?” It couldn’t be nearby because his allergies weren’t flaring up. “I don’t know where you are but don’t come near me! Please! I haven’t taken any allergy meds and I don’t want my perfect face to  get blotchy again!” It was quiet again. “Is it gone?”

A hot feeling hit Zen’s sinuses like a wave. “Gah! I feel like sneezing. I think it’s still here...My nose is getting itchy.” Then he saw the figure, a small shadow. “Oh my god. Why are you running towards me? Don’t come here!”

The figure got closer, showing herself. Zen had only seen this cat a handful of times in real life, but countless times in pictures. She was small, her fur fluffy and perfectly brushed, a haughty look permanently on her face, much like her owner. “Hey! Fur ball! What are _you_ doing here?”

“Meow!”

Elizabeth purred, her body coming into contact with Zen’s legs, rubbing up against them.

Zen sneezed. “No! Achoo! What are you...You...ACHOO!”

Elizabeth looked up at Zen and seemed to lose  interest in him, walking back to the bushes near the dome shaped building.

“Hey! Stop right there! We can talk like this!”

“Meow~” Elizabeth said dismissively.

“Oh, right. Of course we can’t talk. What am I saying?” Zen couldn’t understand why in the world he was even having a conversation with the fur ball. Rather than having a conversation with her, there was a bigger and better question he had to ask himself. “Wait, why is she even here? I don’t know if this is a movie set. They can’t be filming a play outside… not this one, at least. So would this be a teaser or something?”

Zen couldn’t make out why in the world he was here.

“And why is there a building in the mountains? Don’t you need a permit to build here? I thought they just used  special effects for this sort of thing now…But why is there a building like this in the middle of nowhere?” Zen finally decided to walk to the door and pounded on it.

“Hello! Is anyone there?”

“Meow?” Elizabeth said. She now seemed to have decided she wanted to linger behind him. Zen couldn’t understand cats. It was always one thing or another with them and they could never decide what they wanted.

“Fur ball, why are you meowing?”

“Meow.”

“Ugh,” Zen scoffed, then felt another sneeze coming. “Go away!”

“Meow!” Her meow was different now. It was sadder. Come to think of it, wherever she was, her owner was never too far off. “ Hey! Don’t cry!” Elizabeth sniffled, her blue eyes looking expectantly at him. She walked closer. “No! Don’t come near me, bad cat!” Her face went back to being sad. “Oh come on, I’m more beautiful than your owner. Why do you look so sad? You know what, you two suit each other just fine. He’s got those sad eyes all the time, too.”

“Meow.”

“Okay, Where’s Jumin? He’s gotta be nearby if you’re here. Let’s go fi...fi...ACHOO!”

“Meooooww.”

“Stop meowing!” Zen moved away from the door. “Let’s keep our distance, but don’t go too far. You know what? I decided I don’t want to know what's inside. Something’s telling me this place isn’t anything good.”

“Meow.”

“But you have no sense of danger. You’re a cat.”

“Meow.” Zen turned his head around and saw Elizabeth veering in another direction, this time making a roundabout towards that creepy building. “Fur ball! Where are you going? Jumin? Jumin, are you here? Come pick up your cat! Hey there, no! Don’t run! Stop!”

Zen ran after her, knowing that Jumin would be even more depressed than usual if that cat ran off, but as he ran, the world got darker and began to fall down and crumble.

He heard one last, echoing meow before rising from his bed.

“What in the...God…” He looked around. No cats here. And his nose was feeling perfect as usual. “Damn. It was just a dream, but there’s no way that fur ball’s in a place like that. Ugh, that was a weird dream. How the hell can there even be a palace in the mountains?”

But something nagged at Zen. “This feeling, though...it can’t be…” Every now and then, Zen would have these extremely vivid dreams that _always_ came to be. “No...It can’t be a prophetic dream...can it?”

But then how would that explain Jumin’s cat being anywhere that wasn’t his penthouse?

Nothing made sense.

Zen needed a cold glass of water to think things over. Maybe that would clear his mind.

* * *

 

“Shit! Damn! Hell! Shit!” You let out a string of curses. It had been three hours since your phone call with Jumin and you still couldn’t relax. Sleeping did you no good because all you could think about Jumin’s voice while looking up at the ceiling, your body reacting with a thirst you never thought was possible. The hot feeling in your throat and sweat dripping down your brow couldn’t even be quenched with a glass of water. Or with the countless other glasses you had since the conversation ended.

It also didn’t help that at one in the morning, he sent a blurry photo of a sleeping Elizabeth the 3rd. He even sent the caption **Elizabeth the 3rd is having sweet dreams. I hope you are too, wherever you are.**

Everything about him was so damned charming. From the way he spoke to you, to his jokes, to his blurry photos and endless curiosity. He said he wasn’t a kind or a curious person, but you saw it differently.

Was this what it was like when you fell for someone?

But that made no sense. You had only exchanged messages via the chat and spoken on the phone several times a day. Sure, the calls occasionally went for hours, but there was no way you could just _fall_ for someone that way.

You weren’t going to end up like that football player from the catfish story and fall for an idealized person.

But there was nothing idealistic about Jumin Han. He was a real person with real problems and issues like any other human being. Yet still…

You downed yet another glass of water, certain your bladder could handle it.

You read the caption again and again, not believing he was thinking of you in the small hours of the morning.

It wasn’t right. He was supposed to do this to Sarah, his _wife_ , not you. He was supposed to call her whenever he was feeling emotional or confused, not you. He was supposed to confide in her, feel comfortable with her, _not you_.

“Ugh!” You placed both hands on your forehead, feeling frustrated.

You always thought falling for someone would be less troubling than this.

Maybe all of this would be solved whenever you’d finally see him...You scoffed, not knowing when that would even happen. It wasn’t like you were going to see him anytime soon within the next twenty-four hours.

If only there was someone to confide in. There was your mother, an outsider, but she would judge and harshly at that. And so would Zen. And there was that stupid promise you made with Zen about not pursuing Jumin in an effort to have Zen be nicer to Jumin. But you wanted to tell _someone._ Maybe then they could tell you if this was just a simple crush or something more.

You read the caption once again for good measure and exited out, except this time you saw Zen’s name as having logged in, which was pretty strange considering Zen was big on getting his beauty rest.

 

**ZEN: Gahh~So tired. Got dark circles;; But now that I have them, I look like an obsessive freak, lol.**

**You: Oh, Zen. I can’t believe you’re here.**

**ZEN: Maybe if I look like this, then the director will stop praising me.**

**You: I can’t tell if that’s a good or a bad thing.**

 

Zen’s stance on the director’s compliments kept flipping that you couldn’t legitimately tell if he wanted to be encouraged or not. It was weird.

 

**ZEN: It’s good. He makes me uncomfortable.**

 

You were certain his opinion would change later in the day.

 

**ZEN: BTW, if you get tired while talking to me, just go to sleep anytime ^^**

**You: I’m not tired at all.  I’m actually more surprised that you’re awake at this hour.**

**ZEN: I do have something to tell you and the rest of the RFA;; I had a bad dream today…**

**You: Oh no, what happened?**

**ZEN: I saw** a woman crying after seeing my face **in my dream.**

**You: Huh? A woman?**

 

Weird. You surmised it was normal for people to get nightmares, though it was strange you were back to talking about dreams again, although this time with a different person.

 

**ZEN: Ya…**

 

Zen stopped for a moment then unleashed a barrage of messages, causing you to scroll up to read them. He was obviously still too tired to care about spamming the chat.

 

**ZEN: Huh? Wait. OMG….What the hell did I just type right now?? I just called that fur ball of Jumin’s a woman...No way.**

**You: I’m so confused right now. Are you saying you dreamed Elizabeth the 3rd was a woman? And why would she appear in your dream?**

**ZEN: I DON’T KNOW! It was weird.**

**You: Tell that to Seven. It sounds like a nightmare to you, but to him, it’d probably be something he’d never want to wake up from.**

**ZEN: It’s not that...I’m explaining it wrong. Let me try explaining it better. In my dream, that fur ball was crying in front of this skyscraper in the middle of the mountains.**

**You: That doesn’t make sense. A skyscraper in the mountains? Sounds like something out of a horror movie.**

**ZEN: Ya. It wasn’t a good dream, either. It was strange...Her meows sounded so human....so lonely...**

 

You thought back to the phone call. You already had it on repeat, but when you spoke to Elizabeth, her meows did sound almost humanlike. It made sense how to Zen was able to confuse her meows with a human girl crying.

 

**You: Hmm….**

**ZEN: I mean, I don’t usually believe in dreams or superstitions, since I’d rather worship my handsome face than a god;;**

**You: Zen....No…**

**ZEN: Let’s leave that to another day ^^ Anyways, the reason why I’m saying this is because sometimes my dreams actually happen in reality. Don’t they call it prophetic dreams?**

**You: Are you serious?**

**ZEN: I wish I weren’t. I know Jumin won’t believe me, but it is worth saying, even if what I’m saying right now sounds ridiculous.**

**You: Not really. I’ve seen stranger things happen. Some examples might be nice.**

**ZEN: When I dreamed of messing up my audition...or the girl I had a crush on getting hurt or seeing a huge poster of my face on the streets...at one point or another they all happened in reality. So...I just felt this was something similar this time. It’s honestly up to you to believe me or not, but if this was about me, I can just take care of it, but it was about the fur ball.**

**You: She has a name, you know.**

**ZEN: It’s something fancy like Catherine the Great or Marie Antoinette or something.**

 

How did he forget her name when you _just_ said it earlier in the chat? He must have still been sleepy or just didn’t care. Probably both.

 

**You: Her name is Elizabeth the 3rd. I’m just glad you’re taking Jumin into consideration.**

**ZEN: The way I see it, losing the one you love is really painful just thinking about it. Oh no, did I just refer to her as a human again?**

 

You laughed in spite of the situation.

 

**You: Perhaps we’ll have to keep a closer watch on her, just in case. I know she’s well protected. Jumin loves her.**

**ZEN: True...But...To  go into more detail, Elizabeth wasn’t at Jumin’s house. She was in the middle of the mountains...Somewhere deep inside, where there was a castle...It doesn’t make sense even when I type it.**

**You: Dreams are weird like that.**

**ZEN: Right? And I’m sure it’s illegal to build something like that in the mountains;; And yet the cat was wandering around there, looking really sad. The sight really bothered me...And then she started running towards that building. Even while I was sneezing, I ran after her, but then I woke up.**

**You: ...Okay…**

**ZEN: It was just a dream, but I felt so depressed and iffy. Again it’s up to you if you want to believe me or not. Even if you don’t believe me, it doesn’t hurt to be careful, right? I don’t want to see him grieving later on.**

**You: But what I don’t get is who would want to take Elizabeth from Jumin?**

 

Your mind hovered towards Sarah being a possible culprit but it made absolutely no sense. Maybe a rival corporation?

 

**ZEN: Something Jaehee said the other day is still on my mind, about the way Jumin’s wife acted before the wedding. What if they actually plan on getting rid of the cat?**

**You: If they wanted to, wouldn’t they have done it by now?**

**ZEN: You never know. Like I said, when Glam wants something, she’ll do anything to get it. Maybe she wants Jumin to get closer to Sarah, and  the furball is the only thing they’re aware of that’s in the way. At least, to them.**

 

It may have been two in the morning, but Zen was still throwing out hints and words of caution to you about hanging out with Jumin. Even if you were on cloud nine, you had remember that those two women loomed like shadows.

 

**ZEN: There’s no use in crying over a lost cat. So it’s better to be prepared.**

**You: Thank you. I can feel how kind you are.**

**ZEN: I’m sure he’d be touched by my kindness!**

 

You couldn’t tell if it was sarcasm or him being narcissistic. You wanted to believe the latter.

 

**ZEN: I should get going. Never knew a dream could give me an allergic reaction.**

**You: Drama queen. ^^**

**ZEN: <3 Sweet dreams. Bye!**

 

 _Well,_ you thought, _that was quite the rude awakening._ You were starting to understand the way Jumin’s mind worked and you know that he would reject this notion completely, but probably worry about Elizabeth to the point where it consumed him.

You placed both hands on your cheeks, hating the fact that you were so useless to do anything. But what would happen if Elizabeth escaped the penthouse?

 _No, you can’t imagine that. It’ll bring chaos,_ the rational side said.

 _Just focus on helping the RFA out. That’s a current and_ very _real issue at the moment, not this._

All you could do for now was go to sleep and welcome yet another day of being stuck in Rika’s apartment, wanting a man that you could never have.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Muchas gracias to Zentherainbowunicorn for beta-ing! Also, I like to imagine there would be a route split here like in the canon route. MC would have probably pressured Jumin to get along with his dad and Sarah and would have been unsupportive or something like that. Route split means we are 1/3 done with the route. Hahaha...ha...ha...God this is gonna be long.


	23. Chapter 22: Day 7, 6:58 AM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our heroine tries to comfort our raging hero from his distress.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Much thanks again to Zentherainbowunicorn for beta-ing!!! And thank you everyone for waiting patiently and for sticking by!

If there was any way to describe how you felt when you woke up, then the best comparison would be turning on a computer, overloading your browser with fifty tabs, and then watching it freeze. 

You had a headache due to barely sleeping, and it didn't help that you had downed all those glasses of water. Drinking all that water had heavily affected your sleep, forcing you to take numerous trips to the bathroom. Going through such a period of ecstasy, followed by the foreboding conversation you had with Zen had caused you to lose all senses. You grabbed your cell phone in an attempt to numb the headache and logged into the messenger.

Your email inbox was already filling up and it was barely seven in the morning. 

The good news was that Chef RamG and Rui were game and ready to attend the party, bumping the party from seven guests to nine, which was now six away from the goal. 

The bad news was that Monogamy responded unfavorably to your suggestion of sharing an honest conversation with your partner, and their reply was up in the air as to whether they’d attend the party or not. Despite that, you still had a bunch of guests waiting for a response and almost all of them were favorable so all wasn’t lost.

The news you weren’t sure of whether it was good or bad was that both Jumin and Jaehee were in the chat, already talking about work. Jumin did say he would be forced to see his dad later today at the opera and from what you had seen in the chat so far, neither of them were happy that this created even more work, as their scheduled meetings were either pushed forward or pulled back.

At least they were quick to acknowledge your presence. 

 

**You: Hey. It’s early, isn’t it? Jumin, did you read what Zen said about his dream earlier?**

**Jumin Han: I did. Nothing seemed important. I can’t believe he dreamed about Elizabeth the 3rd.** **You don’t think he secretly admires her or anything?**

**You: Zen seems to admire pretty things, and she’s very pretty but…**

**Jaehee Kang: Ahem...I absolutely doubt it’s that, since he left the chatroom saying his nose was itchy.**

**You: Either way, it does make me worried for Elizabeth. I know she’s safe with you, but still. I couldn’t sleep because of it.**

**Jumin Han: I appreciate you worrying, but there’s no need. As you said, she’s safe with me.**

 

You hoped he would continue to send more pictures of Elizabeth in private. Maybe they would include him. But you shook off the notion.

 

**Jaehee Kang: Are you sure?** **If Zen’s dream means anything, Elizabeth might go missing soon.**

**Jumin Han: Do you really believe his dream is predicting the future?**

**Jaehee Kang: I don’t believe it, but considering what Zen said about his past dreams and keeping track of his career, I don’t feel good about ignoring it.**

**Jumin Han: It’s just a coincidence. But before we get into that, where did he get the name Marie Antoinette? Is he working on a production on the French Revolution?**

**You: Uhhh...Jaehee? Do you know anything about this?**

**Jaehee Kang: He currently has no projects lined up focusing on the French Revolution, though he would make a great Sean ValSean in Les Miséreuse, or perhaps Darius.**

**Jumin Han: It doesn’t matter. If he can’t remember the name “Elizabeth the 3rd”, then he has no right to dream about her.**

 

He used a rare angry emoji. Both him and Jaehee were straying from the point. It was up to you to redirect them.

 

**You: Jumin, chill out. But still... don’t you think that Zen talked about it to warn you, Jumin?**

**Jumin Han:** **When someone does something he normally doesn’t do, it means he’s near his death.**

**Jaehee Kang: Oh my god;; Mr. Han;;;**

 

Jaehee used a surprised emoji, and for good reason. Zen was actually being nice to Jumin for once and here he was being hostile in return. Then again, his cat was seemingly under the threat of going missing.

 

**You: Jumin, he’s just taking precaution. He didn’t need to tell us anything, but he did so anyway knowing you wouldn’t believe him and that you would act this way.**

**Jumin Han: Why are you defending him? Why don’t you tell him to get a medical checkup?**

 

“Holy shit,” you said. “Is he jealous?” You could feel his hostility through the screen of your phone. This was not a good start to the day.

 

**You: Jumin…**

**Jaehee Kang: -_- Why don’t you be at least thankful that Zen is worried about Elizabeth’s safety despite his severe cat allergy?**

**Jumin Han: ….**

**Jaehee Kang: I suppose you have no intention to thank him.**

**You: Uhhh, I doubt it.**

**Jumin Han: I feel very offended that my Elizabeth the 3rd was in another man’s dream.**

 

For the second time, he used an angry Jumin emoji. This had to be a record.

 

**You: Look, like Zen said, you don’t have to believe him. He was just being considerate. I know he was kind of a jerk last night along with Seven, but he’s trying, all right?**

**Jumin Han: I’ll ask this of you again, why are you defending him?**

 

You felt attacked. Why was Jumin being stubborn like this? Was it because last night you said that you’d support Jumin when right now you’re defending Zen?  _ But it’s different this time! Zen is actively looking out for Jumin. This is in Jumin’s best interest! Why can’t he see that?  _ the rational side thought. 

_ It’s too early for this. _

You typed the first thing that came to mind. 

 

**You: He’s my friend, too!**

**Jaehee Kang: I don’t think this is the time to be jealous.**

**Jumin Han: Oh…**

 

Both of them were silent and you waited for one of them to respond.

 

**Jumin Han: So is this what jealousy feels like? I understand it now.**

 

You buried your face against the pillows at Jumin’s sudden shift in tone.

_ He’s not liking that you’re defending Zen, dude. He’s crushing on you bad, too, _ the rational side said. 

_ Ya... _ the rebel side agreed,  _ LET’S KEEP HANGING OUT WITH ZEN! _

“No!” you said out loud. “I need to stop provoking this type of thing.” This whole chat was going in an absurd direction, especially at this hour, and Jaehee used a tired emoji, which was all too appropriate. 

 

**Jaehee Kang: ...I don’t understand you sometimes, Mr. Han.**

**You: He’s experiencing jealousy. Don’t worry, Jaehee. Your boss is currently going through an emotional schooling. ^^**

**Jumin Han: Now I’m worried that you’ll appear in Zen’s dreams too.**

**Jaehee Kang: -_- Are you serious?**

**You: What?**

 

You widened your eyes, feeling a blush coming on. 

 

**Jumin Han: I’d protect you better.**

**Jaehee Kang: Uh...Mr. Han? Going back to the subject, I do not believe that dreams predict the future. Things have been chaotic at the moment, so I don’t think it will hurt to be careful.**

 

How Jaehee wasn’t understanding why her boss was being like this was the biggest surprise here. At this point, Jumin’s crush on you should have been obvious to the entire RFA.

 

**You: I think it’s good to be prepared...regardless of whether you believe it or not.**

**Jaehee Kang: That is what I mean.**

**Jumin Han: The way I see it,** the dream itself doesn’t make sense. **If it made even the smallest amount of sense, then I would at least tried to believe it.**

**Jaehee Kang: Would you really?**

 

Her sarcasm was evident, but Jumin was immune to that kind of thing, thankfully.

 

**Jumin Han: Why would my Elizabeth the 3rd be crying in front of a castle in the mountains? It’s very unrealistic and disturbing. The climate and temperature of the mountains would disagree with Elizabeth’s fur.**

 

For the third time, he used an angry emoji. Jumin was really out of it this morning. It must have been the dread he was feeling over seeing his father again later today. He would need to be explained what these things were. But still, you couldn’t help but feel flattered he was feeling jealous of you being in Zen’s dream. 

_ Uhhh, Jumin, sweetie, have you forgotten what starts with an S and ends in arah? _

 

**Jaehee Kang: If that’s what you think...alright. The penthouse you and Elizabeth live in tightly secured anyways. I won’t mention the issue again.**

**Jumin Han: Don’t. But...the last thing he said in the chat does bother me.**

**You: What?**

**Jaehee Kang: Yes?**

**Jumin Han: What he said about my wife wanting to get rid of Elizabeth the 3rd. I don’t talk about her often, if ever, but her and Elizabeth are always at odds with each other. Perhaps it was a mistake to tell her that the tie she gave me was destroyed. I did not say Elizabeth was the one who did it, but I strongly believe she may now have a legitimate reason to dislike her.**

**Jaehee Kang: Is that why you still leave me the cat when you’re away on business?**

**Jumin Han: There is no other person I’d find more trustworthy in keeping Elizabeth the 3rd safe. That woman and my father’s fiancée are capable of anything.**

**You: If you’re nervous about it, then why don’t you just tighten up security?**

**Jumin Han: Yes, that seems like a good idea.**

**Jaehee Kang: Isn’t the security tight enough already?**

**Jumin Han: I’m just preparing for the worst like you said.**

**Jaehee Kang: Oh, are you? But first...look at the time.** **I hope you’ll prepare for the meeting.** **It’s a miracle we were able to reschedule it at an earlier time.**

**Jumin Han: Which one? I’ve lost track.**

**Jaehee Kang: The first one of the day is the group of women artists. The meeting concerns the exhibition “Muse is Dead”...For that I suggest you bring a melancholic tie in your briefcase.**

**You: I know! Wear a violet one!**

**Jumin Han: That is an excellent idea. It’s always annoying to choose which tie to wear. It would be great if you could help me pick them.**

 

Jumin used a happy emoji, making your heart flutter.

 

**You: I’d love to help!**

**Jaehee Kang: Are you done?**

 

“Oh my god,” you said. “She’s totally aware. She’s just choosing to ignore it.” Maybe Zen was somewhat wrong about being the only person to notice it. And how would she react? Out of all of the RFA members, she called you the least. But Jaehee would also try to stay out of Jumin’s affairs unless they came into conflict with her work. 

Unless she was  _ just _ noticing this now. 

 

**Jaehee Kang: Anyway, I think it would be nice to invite this group to the party, what do you think?**

**You: Good idea! Speaking of the party, you should have gotten confirmation from RamG and Rui right about now.**

**Jaehee Kang: Due to yesterday’s....incidents, we were unable to have our daily roundup. I apologize, but I will make one post-haste. That brings our clientele up to nine organizations.  I will mention the party to them after the meeting. Mr. Han?** **_Mr. Han?_ **

 

Jumin had logged out the chat unceremoniously, which caused Jaehee to use her sighing emoji. 

 

**You: Uh…**

**Jaehee Kang: I’ll have to get going. It’s going to be a big succession of meetings this morning. But perhaps then I can leave early and catch up on my sleep...or more work.**

**You: Good luck!**

 

You decided you were going to go back to sleep, because this was too much. You snuggled against the covers, trying not to think of dreams, cats, jealousy, and…

Your phone buzzed besides you. 

“What now?” you said, feeling annoyed. The phone continued to buzz, indicating it was a phone call and not an email or text. It was Jumin. You picked up. 

“It’s me. I apologize for logging out of the chat like that...And for calling out of the blue.” Honestly, you should have expected the day to start out with him calling. The past few days started with the two of you talking and ended the same way. It was a nice pattern.

“It’s no problem. If I were you, I’d be freaking out. Of course, I’m a lot more...uh, emotional.”

“I’m also sorry about my earlier belligerence over Zen. I am aware I was behaving immaturely.”

“It’s fine, Jumin.”

“You’re quick to forgive. I’m not sure if this is a good trait to have. If I were you, I’d be more rigid.”

You laughed. Of course he would say that.

“I don’t understand what’s so funny about this,” he said, confused. You thought it was cute.

“Not all of us are businessmen like you.”

“Oh. Then, I suppose in that case...”

“It’s alright.” The conversation was at an awkward standstill. It was almost as if you were teenagers, having such long heart-to-hearts and then facing a morning after situation. Except this time the reasons as to why it was so awkward kept piling up. “Everything will be alright, Jumin,” you said. “And if anything happens, I’m here.”

“It’s good of you to say that. I will take it into consideration.” You knew he meant he would turn to you.

“What are you currently doing? Are you at home?”

“No. I’m on my way to the office. I just wanted to have a chat with you. I find it...invigorating.” 

_ What about Sarah? Does Sarah not exist to him? _

“I can’t get it out of my head. I wouldn’t want that woman to keep scheming. She already got what she wanted when the contact was signed.”

_ I guess she does exist. _

“Are you worried about Zen’s dream?”

“I don’t believe in such superstition,” he said, but clearly there was a sliver of doubt and knowing Jumin as well as you did at this point, that was all it took for him to make a decision. “But still, even if that dream doesn’t mean anything, it still doesn’t mean that something bad might happen to Elizabeth the 3rd.” 

“If we’re looking at it logically, there’s always a chance of something terrible happening at all times. But we can’t let it destroy us. If you let it affect you, then you’ll never get to live life and they’ll win.”

“They?”

“Sarah and Glam,” you said. It must have been the first time you mentioned them by name to him. “You can’t let them win.” You weren’t sure of whatever the hell you were saying, but it was pouring out of your mouth before you could stop it. 

“You’re right. I may have sealed my fate in a contract, but I’m not their puppet and neither is Elizabeth the 3rd.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“Why do you cherish Elizabeth the 3rd so much? I’m asking out of curiosity.” 

“There’s several reasons...but the biggest one is that there’s no creature on this earth who understands me as well as she does. The last time I was upset over my father over work, she pushed a picture frame of me and my father together for me to see and it changed my mind. And when Sarah gave me that horrendous tie, she destroyed it...And that time when Asistant Kang told me to wear these famous designer clothes for a press conference...but it had a diagonal pattern. Elizabeth could sense my distress and she got her fur all over it, making it unwearable. It was the perfect excuse.”

If you were being honest with yourself, they were all kind of shallow reasons, and you got the feeling he knew that as well. There had to have been a deeper reason as to why he cared about that cat with an irrational passion. Perhaps someday he would tell you, but this answer would have to suffice. 

Jumin went on, “So of course, when I was asked why I wasn’t wearing the clothes later, I told them the truth, that my cat appreciated the clothes so much I couldn’t wear it.”

You couldn’t bear to tell him it was all a series of coincidences he was making up to mask his loneliness. “She must love you, then.” It wasn’t like you were lying to him. All pets felt something for their owners. 

“Yes, of that I’m sure. I want to believe that we understand each other perfectly, even if she can’t speak or act like a human being.”

It was heartbreaking that he was projecting his feelings onto a cat. You knew the cat loved him, but that was the thing: she was just a cat. And it wasn’t like he had an excuse, since Sarah lived over at the penthouse. He could have turned to her, given her a chance, but nothing came out of that.

And then there was you. You were becoming increasingly certain that you were starting to feel something deeper for him. You didn’t want him to continue the burden of his loneliness the way he had his whole life.

“To be honest with you, Jumin, and I said this in the chat with Zen, I don’t think Sarah is capable of kidnapping Elizabeth. If she did, she would have done it ages ago,” you said.

“Still, it isn’t right to underestimate her. That’s why I locked Elizabeth in her room for the day. The only way a person could get in would be through an electronic passcode that only I have access to. I’d rather leave her with Assistant Kang, but she must also attend the meetings.”

You tried to stifle a yawn, but completely failed. 

“I should leave you to your sleep. We will talk later today. Stay safe.”

“Oh, okay. You too, Jumin. Goodnight. I mean...” You placed your hand against your forehead. The daylight seeping in through Rika’s window only mocked your gaffe even further.

“Goodnight,” he said, his voice sounding almost playful. You still winced from your mistake but his tone made it look cute. “Sleep well.”

The moment after you put down the phone, the thoughts came rushing back, but you wanted to just block them and find your sleep. Hopefully you could just sleep through these next ninety-six to one hundred hours before the party began. 

If only.


	24. Chapter 23    Day 7, 9:18 AM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which both our hero and heroine have inclinations to leave their daily routines.

 

When you woke up again, almost two hours had passed. For a moment, you were scared that the world had crashed and burned in those two hours, but the chat had been empty, save for Yoosung, who was logged on.

 

**Yoosung☆: GAHHHHH!! You’re here! I’m so shocked right now from what just happened in school today. T_T**

**You: Oh no, what happened?**

**Yoosung☆: I thought I just failed the test, but I failed other quizzes, too!** **_So I have to take extra classes during vacation!!!_ **

 

Yoosung spammed the chat with two crying emojis.

 

**You: It could be a lot worse, Yoosung. It looks like you’re being granted a second chance, so congrats!**

**Yoosung☆:** **_This is nothing to be congratulated about!_ ** **I had plans for this vacation. This is terrible!**

**You: Well, think about it like this: You’ve sort of seen the material and you’ve got an advantage, so go and do your best! And if you get perfect grades, it’ll be as if those bad ones never existed! I don’t see how this is a problem. Once you get your degree you’ll have a chance to go on vacation.**

**Yoosung☆: You’re right. I should take responsibility. I lost myself for a moment there, thinking about taking extra classes. I have to pull myself together.**

**You: Be a responsible person!^^ Look at Jumin. He has a whole company on his shoulders and he can manage.**

 

_Don’t lie to him,_ the rebel side said. _Jumin’s getting crushed under all of that pressure._

_Yeah, but what other example are you gonna give him on the topic of responsibility? In fact, you barely have the right to even lecture him on that, Miss I-Got-Fired-From-My-Job?_ the other side countered.

But you knew that Jumin brought about a sense of admiration in Yoosung. Using him as a pedestal would give him something to aim for.

 

**Yoosung☆: He’s taken so much responsibility, he even married a woman he hated.**

 

That brought about yet another crying emoji.

 

**You: Try and face things with confidence the way he does.**

**Yoosung☆: Yeah, Jumin always does seem confident. But I’m sure he grew up in an environment that let him be confident…**

**You: You’d be surprised at what the truth might bring, Yoosung, but you probably have a point;;**

**Yoosung☆: I feel like I’m just whining today. Once I start thinking about all this, I get really nervous about my future. I don’t have a degree yet...and I don’t even know if I chose the right major and I don’t know what I can do with what I’m studying right now. Haha...I don’t know anything. I thought about switching majors, but I don’t know what I could switch to….;;;**

**You: It’s a tough decision, I know. It’s understandable.**

**Yoosung☆: I thought I’d have a clear goal once I’d come to college, but that wasn’t the case.**

 

Yoosung was being all too real right now to the point that it was borderline frightening. You couldn’t decide on a major when you were Yoosung’s age either. You had faced a past not unlike Yoosung’s, though your reasons were so much more...existential.

 

**Yoosung☆: So I looked here and there to see if anything might help. I actually know a group of people who have similar things on their minds.**

**You: I think I know what you’re talking about.**

**Yoosung☆: Maybe. They’re called College Students Who Chose the Wrong Majors.**

**You: Yes! And they’re all debating on changing their majors! I remember seeing them meet in the building where I did my tutoring. I used to sneak in after and take their leftover cookies! ^^**

**Yoosung☆: Haha, good idea! I should do that next time I’m around one of their meetings! I think it’ll be nice to invite them to the party.**

**You: OMG yes! Let’s invite them just for you!**

**Yoosung☆: Oh, thank you ^^**

 

Yoosung used the most adorable of his emojis, which made your heart go warm. This talk almost made you forget all about the other foreboding things going on. Usually you were the one comforting Yoosung, but he was inadvertently doing just that to you.

 

**Yoosung☆: I’m glad to be helping the party and even more glad to hear you say it’s just for me!**

**You: Of course! Yoosung, you’re such a big help!**

**Yoosung☆: Oh, right! Seven called me this morning, lol.**

 

You’d read the entire episode between Yoosung and Seven, where he was inviting him over to his place. You kind of regretted missing that chat, but it was all because you wanted to lend an ear to Jumin.

_Be honest with yourself, you missed the chat because you were flirting with Jumin._

 

**Yoosung☆: I may have failed my class, but...I think he’s really gonna give some of his Honey Buddha Chips to me! He told me to come to his place right after school to pick up the boxes so I won’t be nearly as depressed after getting those.**

**You: I forgot to congratulate you on getting Seven's Honey Buddha Chips. Don’t eat too much or you might get a stomachache!**

**Yoosung☆: Okay! I won’t eat all of them at once.**

**You: I know! Store them in your closet and when you pass a quiz, eat half a bag. When you pass an exam, eat the whole bag! It’ll be a great motivational tool!**

**Yoosung☆: OMG! I don’t know if I can restrain myself...but…**

**You: If you can’t, I’d be more than happy to store them myself. I won’t eat them, I promise!**

**Yoosung☆: Okay! We’ll see how my restraint goes, but that’s such a great idea! That reminds me, you’re usually in the chat. I’m not used to you not being there. I didn’t realize how much I missed you.**

**You: I was…**

 

You paused, wondering if you should come clean or say you were sleeping or doing something else. Yoosung had inadvertently cornered you. Lie, and Jumin would know and think something was wrong. In his own mind, he was probably thinking this was just your average friendship. Tell the truth, and Zen would know, maybe Jaehee, too.

Perhaps it was better to take a middle ground.

 

**You: I was helping a friend last night. He needed a friendly ear.**

 

You stared at your response. It was the perfect thing to say and no one would grow suspicious, even Zen.

But why did it gnaw at you?

 

**Yoosung☆: Oh. I may have problems with my classes, but looking at it now, it isn’t nearly as bad as Jumin’s problems. I hope him and Elizabeth stay safe!**

**You: Yeah, I hope so, too!**

 

It looked like even Yoosung was smart enough to know you spent that whole time talking to Jumin. It served you right.

 

**Yoosung☆: I should get going now. I’ll go to all of my classes, take notes, get my Honey Buddha Chips, and come here to brag after!**

**You: Haha, Yoosung, I’ll be expecting a photo~**

**Yoosung☆: Okay! I’ll do just that! I hope you and Jaehee and Jumin all have a good day! See you later!**

 

Yoosung logged out, leaving you to this empty apartment once again.

It was only nine-thirty in the morning, but already you wanted the day to be over. Things were so quiet here and passing the time via the internet did only so much for you. Perhaps it was time to go on a short walk. Seven wouldn’t know.

No, that wasn’t true, Seven kept looking through the cameras, but you were feeling bold today.

“Sorry, Seven, but I really can’t take any more of this whole shut-in thing. Maybe you’ll understand. Eh, probably not. It’s not like you understood what Jumin was going through, anyway,” you said, feeling a renewed sense of bitterness towards him. “I just need fresh air. Or maybe I’d like to get to know the neighborhood. If only a little.”

You got out of your nightwear and into your regular clothes, your heart thumping in anticipation. You knew it was wrong and possibly dangerous, but it didn’t matter.

You left the apartment door, eyeing the camera with determination.

What surprised you the most was that by the time you were outside walking against the pavement, your heels clicking against the gavel wasn’t at how new and beautiful the outside world felt, but by the silence of your phone.

You walked on, feeling a new sense of vigor in your step.

* * *

 

It took every ounce out of Jumin Han’s willpower to stay in place.

Even though he was currently in the middle of a short break, he still felt like fleeing the office.

Women, women, women. It was nothing but women he had these meetings with. Meeting with women only made him exert even more energy. He knew that by the time he’d be forced to attend the opera, he would have been completely drained.

There was nothing more he wanted than to take his phone out in the middle of one of these meetings and press speed dial. Even though he had known her for only a week, had had grown accustomed to her voice.

However, Jumin’s biggest regret was not taking Elizabeth with him to work today. Since the day V and Rika gave him Elizabeth the 3rd, he felt tempted to buy a beautiful diamond cage for her, but he held back.

The cats he saw on the internet didn’t use cages so he didn’t bother to use one for her. Elizabeth always looked comfortable with the current way she lived her life so the idea of her ever being in a cage was set aside until now.

But on the other hand, just imagining someone kidnapping her was horrible on its own. Having a cage would be justified in that sense. It would hurt at first to watch her in that cage, but it could perhaps bring him to feel a sense of peace.

He unlocked his phone, where he was met with an image of Elizabeth the 3rd’s side profile that served as his wallpaper. He paused for a second, admiring Elizabeth’s elegance before finding his image gallery, where there were hundreds of photos of her. Jumin felt at peace staring into her blue eyes.

Elizabeth was so innocent, so deserving of his feelings, his affection, his love. Being around women like Sarah or Glam or those female artists from the meeting reinforced that notion. While those women only brought chaos into his life, Elizabeth was a stable force of peace and tranquility.

He went back to last night’s phone conversation, which he couldn’t stop reliving, especially when the girl requested to speak to Elizabeth. She must have thought he would actually place the phone to Elizabeth’s little ears instead of putting the phone on speaker, but it was cute to see her go off. But right now, he couldn’t help but think a specific thing she said: _“I know he’s been going through a lot, but you gotta stay with him and support him through these difficult times…”_

Her intentions were pure, but she was wrong.

Elizabeth was only a cat.

Jumin scrolled through the pictures, Elizabeth’s blue eyes looking the same in each photo. For a moment, they lacked a sense of depth. It was a thought that never crossed his mind until now.

The thought was unsatisfying.

But it kept manifesting.

Elizabeth was only an animal, with no concept of loyalty or betrayal. All she could do was stare at him in the same way she did in all of these photos. She couldn’t see the tangled threads that constricted Jumin. Threads that all of the women worsened with time. Jumin ignored the ball of threads growing bigger and bigger and bigger from within his mind until it finally reached a point where he thought it would collapse under its weight and suffocate him. The thought of how Elizabeth was just a cat persisted. She couldn’t bear the burden of seeing and tending to those threads, even if he thought otherwise when she was given to him by V and Rika.

Jumin set the phone down on his desk.

Empty. It all felt empty to him. And just how much of that emptiness had he buried deep within himself? During his phone call earlier today, he listed the reasons as to why he loved Elizabeth the 3rd so much, but the answer was a lot more superficial than he expected to feel. So he came up with more answers, yet they did nothing to substantiate a deeper meaning.

It only brought even more questions to surface. How much did Elizabeth actually know about him? What was she thinking whenever she stared at him with those big blue eyes? When he said he loved her, did she understand, or was it just meaningless sounds?

Maybe it was all an illusion.

Maybe Elizabeth was never his.

Just like Rika.

Just like...Jumin paused, taking a deep breath before he allowed his mind to continue further on the subject of what was his and what wasn’t. He had work he needed to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was definitely one of the more difficult chapters to write, but we need a bridge between the future events that will go down now that the foundation has been laid out. Just a little longer...
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has read, given kudos (over 500!!!), and commented. You all mean a lot to me and I'm always checking to see what you have to say!


	25. Chapter 24: Day 7, 11:17 AM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our heroine enjoys her time out and gets a few things done.

 

You could practically feel your pores clearing with the fresh air. You sat in front of a café close to Rika’s apartment, drinking a cheap iced coffee with a croissant.

The neighborhood where the apartment was located was nice. You had visited this cafe before, but you now felt a sense of appreciation for it after spending the last few days locked away in Rika’s apartment.

You were glad you went out during the uncommon occasion when the weather became pleasant. It wasn’t as humid as the city was known to get, and the breeze felt nice on your skin. For a moment, you had lamented you hadn't brought a book to read, but instead, you felt motivated to respond to the stream of emails. You were finally reaching that last stretch when it came towards having many of these groups accept their invitation and felt a sense of inspiration while typing the messages on your phone. 

For the first time, you didn’t  ask Jumin questions about the fashions he wore while you answered The Cultured Peoples latest question, instead telling them the party was going to be metaphorical flowerbed of pretty boys. You even used flowery language to get your point across.

The effort you were putting into your emails was unlike anything before. That negative-sounding email you got from Monogamy was a wake-up call for you to get things together, their response hovering over your head. The RFA was relying on you and you weren’t going to let them down.

You nibbled on the remaining part of your croissant, now cold and dry, but you didn’t care about the lack of taste as you kept replying to the emails. You were on fire today and you were going to answer all of the emails you could before your mental output would diminish. 

Looking back now, it had been a great idea to just sit in front of a cafe and be productive. 

After doing a quick spelling and grammar check, you submitted the email to Culture, the last group in the queue, feeling certain that they were going to respond favorably. A second later, your phone displayed a notification that Zen and Jaehee were online in the messenger. You were glad to see Jaehee was there, as you were worried about how Jumin was faring right now. He had said that he had a string of meetings and you figured he would be unreachable.

 

**ZEN: Ladies! Good morning!**

**Jaehee Kang: Hello.**

**ZEN: Did you two have breakfast?**

**You: Yup~ Thanks for asking!**

**Jaehee Kang: I just had a glass of milk. We’ve had a busy day today.**

 

Jaehee used a tired emoji, her back facing the screen.

 

**You: How’s Jumin?**

**Jaehee Kang: He’s been...Not himself.**

**ZEN: What’s up with him?** **It’s not because of my dream, right?**

 

Zen must have read the chats from earlier in the day. Jumin had hair-trigger temper today, especially when the subject of Zen was brought up. 

 

**Jaehee Kang: ...I think Mr. Han is imploding.**

**You: Oh no…T_T**

**ZEN: I didn’t think that dude would react that way to a dream.**

**Jaehee Kang: I think it was a combination of many different factors that have caused Mr. Han’s self-destructive behavior. To summarize, he has been unnaturally quiet and ponderous during meetings and has occasionally asked our clients to repeat themselves.**

**You: Occasionally?**

**Jaehee Kang:** ** _Mr. Han_** **_is the not the type of person to require repetition during his meetings._**

**ZEN: Are you saying he’s not acting like the hot-shot corporate director like he usually is? Ugh...I feel bad…I shouldn’t have said anything.**

**You: You only talked about your dream. It’s not your fault at all.**

**Jaehee Kang: I agree. The dream is only but a notch on his stressful day. You are not responsible for this. Mr. Han has also said so himself: dreams don’t mean anything.**

**ZEN: Yeah, he did say that, right?**

**Jaehee Kang: Mr. Han is due to attend an opera in the afternoon with his father, wife, and future stepmother. It is likely that this may be the a reason behind his behavior today.**

**ZEN: Oh. That explains it.**

**You: It’s his first meeting with his father since the confrontation. I can see why he’s a nervous wreck.**

**Jaehee Kang: Yes. Mr. Han and his father have had a harmonious relationship their entire lives. This is the closest they have come to any sort of discord. Even when it was announced that he would be marrying Sarah, Mr. Han kept things cordial with his father.**

**ZEN: It still isn’t fair that he’s letting this fall back on you, Jaehee. It’s only going to create more work.**

**Jaehee Kang: I never said this was negatively affecting our meetings. I’m just informing you of his changes and my concerns over them. Even when he’s feeling down, Mr. Han is still never to be underestimated, but I can’t help but interpret this as a warning sign for things to come if Mr. Han does not patch up relations with his father.**

**You: Maybe he should take a break and leave for a bit to get things settled?**

 

Their answers came in almost simultaneously.

 

**ZEN: NO! Jaehee is clearly being overworked!**

**Jaehee Kang: No! The workload is already busy enough and every occasion I check my planner, the work only multiplies.** **_C &R needs Mr. Han._ **

**ZEN: Then he needs to fix his relationship with his father fast if this is going to make things worse for the company and for Jaehee.**

**You: Oh...**

 

You stared at the chat for a moment as it came to a momentary standstill. Maybe you could work around this and see if you could still help Jumin in his time of need, even if he wasn't present.

It was worth a shot.

 

**You: I’ve been getting to know you all and I've noticed Jumin’s all about being traditional and in having a strong relationship with his family, namely his father, and he isn’t really close to people otherwise. Elizabeth seems to be the closest thing he has to an actual companion.**

**Jaehee Kang: This is true.**

**ZEN: As much as I hate to say it, I have to agree and I feel bad for that dude. She’s just a cat.**

**You: Yeah, I’m getting the sense that he’s your exact opposite, Zen. What do you do when you’re facing some kind of stressful situation and you need to prepare for what’s to come?**

**ZEN: Either I set my mind to accepting what’s to come, knowing I have to treat it like a role...or I go out for some drinks with friends.**

**You: Hmm...That’s the thing. He's never had anyone to confide in.**

**ZEN: V’s his best friend; why not him?**

**Jaehee Kang: Ha...Haha…**

**You: Are you okay, Jaehee?**

**Jaehee Kang: V has been almost inaccessible since Rika died. I should know.**

**ZEN: And besides, he only ever uses Seven as a mouthpiece. Maybe what we need is for Seven to contact V.**

**You: But he’s busy with the hacker and probably with the other stuff he does.**

 

You suddenly felt a twinge of guilt over sitting here in front of a cafe and enjoying your day. During these two hours, Seven had made no indication of being aware that you were away from the apartment. Perhaps It was possible that Seven could actually see you through the street cameras.

You were going to make your way back to the apartment soon anyway. Your phone didn't have the battery life it once had when you first purchased it and you didn't feel comfortable being out and about for too long with a phone that could potentially die on you.

  
  


**ZEN: If it wasn’t for the bodyguards, I would have totally forgotten all about the drama with the hacker. Ugh, why does everything that’s happening now feel like some kind of play?**

**Jaehee Kang: If it does, then I’m not feeling that sentiment.**

**ZEN: That’s because you’re always stuck at work. But the drama is getting so intense that I wouldn’t be surprised if somehow something happened in the office.**

**You: Right? A bear would come in! I can see it happening. Exit Jaehee Kang, pursued by a bear!**

**Jaehee Kang: That would only create more work for us all. Imagine the upkeep. Not to mention that’s highly unrealistic, since bears don’t live in the city.**

**ZEN: I see what she’s talking about, Jaehee. That bear comes out of nowhere, too.**

**You: Yup ^^**

 

You wished the aforementioned bear would come in and chase Glam and Sarah. The hacker, too. _ One mustn't forget the hacker, _ you thought.

 

**You: I was only joking about it going after Jaehee. We have other people who are** **_much_ ** **more deserving of that.**

**Jaehee Kang: Setting Shakespeare aside, I should get going. We have the last stretch of morning meetings before Mr. Han leaves.**

**ZEN: Yeah, good luck Jaehee~~**

**You: Good luck!! Make sure you grab something to eat~! I’m really worried about you two!**

**Jaehee Kang: I’ll try. ^^ Goodbye.**

**ZEN: Oh man...With all this weird shit going on lately, I** **_really_ ** **wouldn’t be surprised a bear actually gave someone the drop.**

**You: It’s all troublesome. I just want things to get better.**

 

But you knew that it was highly  possible that things could only get worse before getting better. Maybe that was too pessimistic of a thought for you, but you had to be realistic. 

You suddenly felt even worse for betraying Seven.

Why were you so impulsive? That was going to get you killed one day. 

 

**ZEN: I feel weird. It’s as if we’ve reached Act 2 of a play. Except this isn’t some kind of three act play.**

**You: No, there’s a lot going on. Maybe a five or seven act play?**

 

Zen used his crying emoji. 

 

**ZEN: I’ve always liked to believe that life is like a play, but right now, I really rather wouldn’t.**

**You: Agreed. We’re not some kind of story characters anyway made for people’s consumption. This is real life.**

**ZEN: To be honest, I was so excited when I first entered this chat knowing that Jaehee would be here. I thought she would start discussing my new role with me but....**

**You: Maybe when things are on the brighter side.**

 

You took the last sip of your coffee. The ice had started to melt, giving the coffee a watery taste.

 

**ZEN: I should go rehearse. It’s a rocky road to master acting and no matter how much I look like a Greek God, it’s my acting that needs honing.**

**You: Bye Zen :p**

**ZEN: I shouldn’t slack off on practice! I’ll get going. Have a good rest of your morning, cutie!**

 

Zen left the chat and you signed off.

You picked up the paper plate where the croissant once stood and threw it along with the coffee at a nearby trashcan. It would be a short walk back to the apartment and you knew the first the thing you’d do would be to check for signs of intrusion. 

The phone buzzed in your hand and you saw Seven’s icon. You took the call. 

“Hello?”

“Congrations! You were almost selected as a smartphone addict!” his voice had taken on a somewhat cheery, yet mechanical tone, but it was still recognizable.

“What?” you said, confused. You were half expecting him to scold you. 

“This is really sudden, but you have to be cautious of your smartphone addiction. I heard these days some people think their phones are their hands. Since they never put it down. Electronic waves aren’t good for your body. It makes your skin dry and it hinders digestion.”

“Huh? What?” 

“My life is already riddled with electronics so I’m done for, but normal people like you have to to be careful.”

“I’m so confused.”

“Look up and say ‘Hello, God Seven!’”

You looked up and saw a camera eyeing you from one of the buildings. “Hi...Seven?”

Seven sighed on the other line, “No ‘God’ Seven? Blasphemous!”

You were pretty sure that according to Catholic doctrine, it was blasphemous itself to refer to yourself as a god

“Never mind. I never thought you were  _ that  _ addicted to your smartphone, Polaris. I waved and I waved at you every two point five seconds at you and you never looked up from that little screen to say hi back. I feel so neglected!

“Well, I never got that feeling every two point five seconds,” you said. “And besides, I don’t have dry skin, thank you very much!”

“This outing of yours proves that you are just a human. A human addicted to her smartphone, otherwise, I’d tell you to do what Dr. Pepper taught me.”

You snorted against the phone at the mention of Dr. Pepper while waiting for the walk signal to turn on. “What did Dr. Pepper teach you?”

“To prove your humanity, you just walk into the sunlight and yell ‘I am not afraid of the sun! I am not a vampire! I am a human!’”

You looked up at the camera over by the crosswalk. You cleared your throat as you walked forward and began, “I am not afraid of the sun! I am not a vampire! I am a human!” You said it in a louder voice so that those in the immediate vicinity would probably be able to hear, but not screaming. You weren’t  _ that _ impulsive.

The people close to you walked a little faster and you giggled while you heard Seven doubling over on the other side of the line. 

“There, did I do it right?”

He took a moment to recollect himself. “Perfect job, Agent 606 Polaris! I couldn’t be prouder. You are now pardoned from your crimes. However, I was foiled by our associate Yoosung Kim, who refused to comply with Dr. Pepper’s words of wisdom. We must figure out a way together to make him see the natural light away from his phone addiction.”

“Is that why you’re inviting Yoosung to your place today?”

“Ahhh, those reasons are classified! But never doubt the pure intentions of Seven Zero Seven, for he is a defender of justice. Perhaps after this, Yoosung Kim will venture on forth to a happier setting where he can chase butterflies to his content.”

What he said didn’t make sense to you, but there was nothing else to do but go along with it. “I hope Jumin’s fine and healthy, too. Did you read what Jaehee said?”

“Ahhh,” he said, sound as if he had reached an epiphany. “I didn’t expect you to worry about Jumin at this point but...three, two, one, green light!” You craned your head to the side, watching the nearby cars speed off. “Jumin looks like a sophisticated city man, but he’s a total gap moe.”

“Right?”  Discovering he was a gap moe was one of the reasons why you began to even have the tiniest crush on Jumin during those first few days.

“You’ve spent all that time with him, you know him better than the rest of the RFA, minus V, wink, wink. Did you know Mr. Han likes farms and greenhouses? He doesn’t frown at all at  the smell of nature or manure.”

“Ew,” you said, trying to change the subject. “I wouldn’t like to see the gross side of nature.”

“Sarah probably thinks so, too. Do you like probability and statistics? In the week you’ve been with the RFA, how much time do you think Jumin Han has spent with you versus the time he has spent with his wife, who lives in the same penthouse? Do you think the ratio is bigger in your favor?”

You felt your face growing hot. Seven laughed again. He was poking and prodding you and you had to remember that he had a sadistic side to him. He obviously knew of your crush, much like Zen and probably Jaehee too, but unlike Zen, he was going to use it as ammo against you for trolling purposes. 

“But Sarah isn’t much of a wife. Wives are said to cook and clean for you. Yet, Jumin likes nature and only eats organic food made by the finest of chefs so it helps him stay healthy. I wouldn't worry about him,” Seven said.

You ignored his immature and backwards saying on the subject of marriage. There was no way you’d consistently cook for your future husband as well. “He’s likely physically fine, but I’m more worried about his mental state,” you said.

“Ah, yes. I have been calling Jumin to ask him if I could add Elly to the security cam footage so I can make sure she’s safe too, but he’s been ignoring all of my calls. He has a personal hacker on his payroll, but they’re not half as good as I am. he would never call them a hacker, though. Just an ‘electronic security personnel’. Makes it sound less dirty.”

“So why not just add Elizabeth to the list of those to watch?”

“Good question,” he said. There had to be some level of respect Seven had towards Jumin, his elder. Then again, Seven only answered to V and it was likely Jumin had V intervene in some form earlier. “But I know what this means.” 

“What?” you said. 

“It means Jumin is not addicted to his smartphone.”

You breathed in frustration as you opened the doors to the building where the apartment was. You entered the lobby, which now had a familiar scent that somehow calmed you down from your momentary frustration. 

“So all that can be done is hoping that sun will shoot him loving rays of light because he is so emotionally dry. No one else can do that, not even his wife.” Seven lost you again. 

The elevator dinged. 

“If only my babies could accept the loving rays of solar power.” You heard a clatter from Seven’s end of the line that sounded like the rattling of a soda can. “Oh? My spy is rotating just like the sun! I’ll have to catch him right now before he moves any further! And the same goes to you! Anyways, you take care, I have to go now!”

Seven hung up right when the elevator doors opened again. You entered the passcode and walked straight in, surrounded by familiarity. You didn’t want to come back here so soon, but Seven had given you a closet warning. 

No matter how things seemed safe, things could always get a lot worse.


	26. Chapter 25: Day 7, 1:39 PM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our heroine begins to open her heart.

Something had possessed you to call your mom earlier this afternoon an hour after you came back from Rika’s apartment. Maybe it was boredom. Maybe it had to do with the fact that you missed hearing her voice. Maybe it was because Jumin had advised you that doing so could help you patch up your relations with her. 

Either way, she hadn’t responded…

...until right this second, just about an hour after calling her. You had already eaten lunch, thankfully and you were taking a break from emails.

You closed your eyes for a moment and pressed the green button on your screen, taking the call. 

“Hey!”

“Good afternoon, did you call me?” 

“Uh, yeah, I did! I just wanted to see how you were doing.”

“I just got out of teaching a class ten minutes ago,” she said. 

“Oh, cool. So you’re teaching this semester?” 

“If you had called me sometime last month, you’d have known that I took up teaching full time at the university.” You took in a deep breath.

“Mom…” You groaned softly, hoping she couldn’t hear you, but she made a similar noise in return. You’d forgotten how similar the two of you sounded. “I know what I did was wrong by not calling and checking up on you, but do you have to shove that in my face at every opportunity?”

“Perhaps,” she said without a second thought. 

“Oh my god,” you murmured to yourself. “I get it. I’m a terrible daughter. Duly noted.” 

_ It’s not like she’s mother of the year, either, _ the rebel side said. 

_ Yeah, but she wasn’t the one ignoring you. _

“You’re not terrible. Stop exaggerating things. Both you and your father always had a tendency for the dramatic.”

You made a raspberry-like noise. “You haven’t seen anything yet,” you said, thinking of Zen. “One of my coworkers is a drama king. Of course, he’s an actor.”

“Ugh. I’ve always disliked actors. He’s not the married one, is he?”

“No! There’s five guys in this organization and other one girl.”

“Is she the poor wife?”

“No!” you said again, even louder. “Can you stop?” 

She made a conciliatory noise. “I'm interested in knowing who you've been associating with these days.” Her tone had indicated she was sincerely intrigued by this.

“Thanks, Mom. That girl you mentioned is just an assistant. The rest of my coworkers are men. One’s an actor, the other guy is uh, the leader…” You wondered how you were going to cover up the finer details of the RFA. Surely, she was curious. “The other is the leader’s best friend, he’s like a pocketbook and the girl is his assistant at work; um, another is a college student, and the last is their uhm…” you lingered, “IT man.”

“I see. It sounds exclusive.”

“Right? I mean, yes, Mother.”

There was silence on the other end of the line for a few moments as she was contemplating her next words. “I am proud that you’re finally associating with a worthy crowd instead of lounging in the disgusting crevices of service and retail like you’ve been doing. However, I still think you can do more than charity and social work.” Her words had lifted a weight on your shoulders.

“I know you do. But nothing is going to change my mind. I’m going to succeed in impressing these people and I’m going to stay here and make the world a better place and nothing you can say will sway me.”

Your mom was quiet. “Perhaps I was wrong, in a sense. Maybe it wasn’t your father’s temperament I should have worried about, but mine. It doesn’t mean you’ll stay out of trouble.”

It was true. Trouble always had a habit of following you, even before things went south a few years ago. But wasn’t that the point of life? 

“It’s the Pocketbook, isn’t it?” she said, “He’s the married one.”

“Uh...yeah, but…”

“You need to stay away from that one. If you’re going to associate with power, then it’s unwise for you to do associate yourself with a married man like that..”

“I know. Both you and the actor have drilled this to me.”

“Why not go after the student? Sounds like a much simpler prospect.”

You laughed, “Ha! Yoosung? No way! He’s like a kid.”

“Shame.”

“You know, the pocketbook guy...we’re just friends.”

Your mom huffed. Despite not staying in touch with her for months, she could still see through you.

“It’s always like that, just friends. I’ve seen enough soap operas to know what’s going on.”

“Yeah…” Your mom was an avid soap opera watcher. “He was the one who suggested I keep calling you, after all. He’s close to his dad, but he says it’s important I keep contact with you.”

“It took you an outsider to tell you to finally call me, but...I’m grateful. If you talk to him again, be careful of what you say, but tell him I’m thankful. And tell him to stay away from you.”

You laughed.  _ No chance in hell, _ the rebel side said. “Alright.”

“I need to go. My next class starts soon. Be safe and goodbye.” She hung up, leaving you dissatisfied that she didn’t say ‘I love you’. She still needed time to recover, but at least you could see your relationship with her mending. 

There was a low chance Jumin would call you anyway, since he had that opera to attend to this afternoon. Operas were generally interesting, too, and it was unlikely with everything you had known about them that Sarah and Glam would talk to him and stress him out. 

_ Because it's supposed to be a simple opera _ .

And yet you couldn’t take your mind off your worries about him, about Elizabeth…

You logged into the chat and of course, Yoosung was present. “How funny the one guy my mom suggested I turn my attention to happens to be here.” But Yoosung wasn’t your type at all. 

Yoosung needed a girl with a more serious mental output, anyway. A rational type of girl. A girl with a personality not unlike Jumin’s. You thought it would be easy for a girl of that caliber to take notice of Yoosung and admire his passions and easygoing personality.  _ Aren’t you projecting the reasons why Jumin is probably attracted to you back? _ the rational side said.

But before your mind did a back-and-forth with each other, Yoosung messaged you.

 

**Yoosung☆: I’m here!**

**You: Yooyoo!**

 

He used an emoji of a blushing Yoosung, which melted your heart.  _ He definitely needs a rational type of girl. _

 

**You: Did you pay attention in class today?**

**Yoosung☆: I tried to, but I dozed off a bit, actually ^^**

**You: Oh no. I guess we can’t all improve in just one day.**

**Yoosung☆: But...I did pay enough attention to know I’m behind on the reading. Once I catch up, then I might be able to participate and lead the classroom discussions.**

**You: Yay! I'm cheering for you.**

**Yoosung☆: I was hoping Seven would show up because I can’t go to his place if I don’t have the address.**

**You: I thought you already had it.**

**Yoosung☆: Nope! T_T**

 

As if summoned, Seven entered the chat room. 

 

**707: Heya hey hey!**

**You: Hi! Hey hey!**

**707: The commander has entered!**

**Yoosung☆: What do you mean commander?;;**

**707: U don’t know?**

**Yoosung☆: I mean, I know what it means but still;;**

 

He used an emoji of chibi Yoosung sighing, his violet eyes in tiny dots.

 

**You: Have any of you guys heard from Jumin or Jaehee? They haven’t been in the chat for hours.**

**Yoosung☆: Nope.**

**707: Assistant Kang said he was headed to an opera. La-di-da-da**

**You: I know that. I’m just worried.**

**707: He’s incredibly lucky to have you worry about him, but I’m more worried about the hacker.**

**Yoosung☆: Me too! Me too!**

**707: I’m also worried for dear Elly. Jumin, if you read this, I can always watch the cameras and look for Elly! I can keep her safe, too!**

**Yoosung☆: Good luck with that >_<**

**You: Ditto.**

 

You recalled your earlier conversation with Jumin today, remembering of how Elizabeth had been forced to live like today. You felt like Elizabeth the 3rd. Trapped in an apartment only accessible through passcode with only the smallest quantities of food.

 

**Yoosung☆: At least if everyone is going to be at the opera, then Elizabeth might stay safe in her apartment if those two women will be there.**

**You: True.**

**707: Do you think they have food at the opera house? I wanna eat shaved ice.**

**Yoosung☆: ….Stop joking;;**

 

If you remembered properly, shaved ice was the food Yoosung liked to eat with Rika. Didn’t Seven know of this, or was he being insensitive again? He only made it worse by using an emoji of Seven with the heart eyes drawn everywhere. It was making you feel angry again.

 

**You: Seriously, Seven, stop it.**

**Yoosung☆: All Jaehee had today was a glass of milk. She might seriously faint.**

**707: Then it’s time for God 707 to make an intervention. On the Seventh Day, God 707 declared that on this day, he will deliver rolls!**

**You: Not this again!**

**707: Rolls to everyone. Yoosung, do you think Elly likes Sushi rolls?**

**Yoosung☆: I don’t think cats can eat that...**

**You: Maybe Jumin can finance a restaurant that offers sushi for cats.**

**707: Tsk, tsk, giving Jumin more ideas. I can see Assistant Kang sighing in the distance, splitting a nearby pen in two... I was thinking maybe we can go up to Jumin’s apartment by having Yoosung dress up as a cat.**

**You: Good idea!**

**Yoosung☆: Not! A! Good! Idea!**

**707: Why not? It suits u lololololol**

**Yoosung☆: No it doesn’t!**

**707: Try it! I want to see Elly’s reaction, though if she runs away with you and you become Mr. The 3rd I will be verrrrrrry jealous.**

 

You were laughing at Seven’s “Mr. The 3rd” comment. It momentarily made you forget about the things stressing you out and your general feelings of irritation towards him.

 

**Yoosung☆: No!**

**707: I’m gonna take a camera >.<**

**Yoosung☆: I said no!!**

**707: Yoosung, if you know how to sing…**

**Yoosung☆: I swear to god, if you mention** **_Catcha_ ** **right now….I’m gonna get mad…**

**707: Oh. Got it.**

**You: What’s a Catcha? Is it some kind of cha cha dance?**

**707: Yoosung says I can’t mention it, so I won’t.**

 

You now felt frustration similar to how Yoosung was feeling.

 

**You: Aw come on you can’t just…**

 

You hit enter by accident as the app glitched for a second. You worried it was the hacker for a moment, but you were forced to agree to the terms of service as your phone had an incoming call.

_ Funny,  _ you thought,  _ I always wondered what would happen to my phone if a call was coming into direct conflict with the chat.  _

It was Jumin. 

At this point you could either take the call and ditch Seven and Yoosung or —

Who were you kidding? Of course you were going to ditch the hell out of Seven and Yoosung. “Bye,” you said out loud just before answering the phone. 

“It’s me,” he said.

“Hey Jumin!” You tried to ignore just how quickly your heart was beating. You were worried about him in so many ways. 

“How is your day going?”

_ Don’t tell him you’re worried as hell for him.  _ “It’s been going okay. I actually went to a cafe earlier today and bought some iced coffee and a croissant, answered some emails, went back to Rika’s apartment, and spoke to my mom.”

“Oh? You took my advice?”

You made a noise of affirmation. “Talking to her wasn’t so bad this time, I guess. We had some of our usual rapport back. She’s uh, thankful for your suggestion.”  _ She also wants me to stay away from you. No, that’s not it. She wants  _ you _ , Jumin Han, to stay away from  _ me.

“I see. You sound like you had a good day. It’s as if you have a clear energy to you,” he said. You detected a trace of wistfulness on his part. 

“If I am, then I hope you can get some of it. You need it a lot more than I do. Do you know what you’re going to say to your dad?” You began pacing around the room, your gaze cast absently at Rika’s large metal safe.

“I have no idea. I have no intention of apologizing. I just…” you heard him sigh. “I’ve been thinking all day how difficult it is to just confide in someone. She...I mean, Sarah, all of our conversations have been about nothing. I…She...” Jumin was lost in his words. You didn’t dare say anything. Him mentioning Sarah’s name made your blood run cold. It felt wrong. “I don’t have anyone to confide in these days when I feel nervous, so I tend to find my own solutions...but there is none I can think of at this time. All of this feels so strange, but it’s interesting, in a way.”

“I understand,” you said. 

“Do you have a lot of friends to confide in?”

“No,” you said, keeping your answer short. “I find it difficult to sometimes trust people, too. I want to believe everyone is capable of being good with every part of my soul, but…” You couldn’t think of a way to finish your sentence. 

“You’re just like me in that sense. There’s a difference between having hundreds of superficial friends and having one friend who can tell what you’re thinking just by looking at your eyes. I think the latter friend is worth a hundred times more.”

“Basically, that’s how I see it, too. Maybe if I have one person who understands me, then everything feels weightless.”

“I was once lucky to have two of those of friends, but I’m afraid I can’t reach either of them at the moment.” It didn’t take a genius to figure out he was referring to V and Rika. Rika, who was unreachable for obvious reasons, and V…

But Jumin began speaking again, making your thoughts on V go away. “I used to think that I didn’t need to rely on anyone. So...I thought I could live on with just one creature who’d always accept me, even if I can’t rely on it. I thought it was enough for Elizabeth the 3rd to accept me.”

You hiccupped, putting the phone on mute and speaker. You closed your eyes, the tears falling down your face and onto the floor as you breathed in and out while Jumin continued to speak. 

“But recently, it occurred to me that humans are creatures who can’t live on their own, not like this. And despite living with someone else...someone who is human, but superficial and self-serving, the loneliness that inside of me has instead piled up and it has exploded.”

“Oh, Jumin…” you said, your voice strained by your emotions.  _ You have to keep it together. Do it for him.  _ You took another deep breath and nodded your head, unmuting the phone and placing it close to your ear. 

“Jumin…” you began, trying your hardest to keep your voice steady. You were going to damn yourself and ruin your life in the process, but it was worth it. Everything had aligned to you right here and now. He was already giving you a fragment of his soul even though he hadn’t realized it. You bit your lip, certain you were going to draw blood. “I want to be that person for you. I...Please don’t be lonely anymore.”

You barely kept your words together and waited for his response. It felt like a lifetime and a half. Despite all the other crushes and dates you had gone on in the past, everything paled in comparison to this moment. How raw and emotional and  _ alive _ you felt. 

“I’m happy to hear that. But...I don’t know…” Neither did you. You laughed, wiping away a tear. “When I’m not talking to you, I feel…”

_ Empty, _ you thought. 

_ It’s no use arguing this anymore. You feel something and it’s growing, _ the rational side said.  _ We just need to be careful. _

“I feel...Oh, what am I saying?” His voice hardened again. “I can’t believe I’m sharing my worries. I apologize.”

“No need,” you said, feeling as if he yanked a curtain from you, displaying you for an audience to see. 

“It’s just that talking with you makes me act strange. I should go. I haven’t even gotten ready yet for the event and I must check Elizabeth the 3rd’s bowl. Excuse me.”

“Oh. Of course. Good luck Ju—” Jumin hung up on you, leaving you stranded for the second time in a single day, the first being when he ditched Jaehee to call you personally. It reminded you that you ditched Seven and Yoosung minutes ago for him. 

Maybe they were still in the chat.

You needed to distract yourself from this embarrassment. From how you were two seconds away from starting an affair with Jumin Han. What scared you the most was how ready and willing you were feeling.

The chat was still ongoing. Yoosung was still logged in  but you saw Seven had just left.

You scrolled through the past messages from your last one onwards. It turned out Yoosung was using the messenger during class time and Seven had scolded him, saying he knew of a group that taught people how to overcome a smartphone addiction. Before he left, he said something about you picking up the sushi rolls from the lobby.

 

**Yoosung☆: OMG you’re back! ^^**

**You: What’s this about you using your phone in class? Tell Seven I’m interested in knowing how to overcome a smartphone addiction so that you can get your grades up.**

**Yoosung☆: Oh, okay. Seven says I can go to his house after class today yay!**

**You: Oh cool. BTW, did you ever get his address?**

 

Yoosung replied by using an emoji with question marks dotting around his shaking head. 

 

**Yoosung☆: Oh no, I forgot again!**

**You: You’ll just have to call him.**

**Yoosung ☆: But he never answers when he works...Oh well, I’ll just call him until he picks up!**

**You: That's probably a good idea ^^**

**Yoosung☆: Wait, I almost forgot to ask you. Are you okay? I was worried about you when you suddenly left.**

**You: I had to take a phone call. I’m fine though ^^ Good luck with the chips!**

**Yoosung☆: !GKAjgale The prof!**

 

Yoosung logged out, leaving you now with no possible distractions. You still felt heavy from the emotions and the embarrassment from talking to Jumin and the things you had said. You were frightened of the weight of your words and worse yet, frightened of how you possibly scared Jumin off right when he needed you most. 

_ Think of something else. Think about anything else… _

_ Oh I know! Food! Food is good!  _

Then you realized that the you from yesterday was a genius. You still had another pint of Cherry Marcia in the freezer. But first you had to go and get those sushi rolls. Maybe after lunch you could start to see the error of your ways.

 


	27. Chapter 26: Day 7, 4:34 PM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which things come to a screeching halt.

 

Jaehee Kang had woken up from her nap feeling both rejuvenated and wistful because she wanted more time in her bed, which had never felt this soft and comfortable before...

Three and half hours of sleep was something of a blessing these days, and Jaehee knew this. She did the sign of the cross, ready to start a new day of dealing with Mr. Han’s or Mr. Chairman’s bombardments of work, as well as Mr. Han’s endless moping, press control, and all other situations that could possibly arise. Either way, in twenty minutes, she would be escorted out of her apartment by Mr. Han’s bodyguards and it would be back to work again. Normal people usually came back from work between the hours of four and five PM, but Jaehee’s work life was never that simple.

Despite almost always being at work, Jaehee had to admit that things were stranger than ever before.

Mr. Chairman’s upcoming wedding, the hacker, the party...All of these thoughts were disorganized in Jaehee’s mind and she needed to fix her scrambled thoughts fast. Thankfully, she had invested in a Lurig coffeemaker for fast, on-the-go moments like this one.  

Jaehee’s first cup was a dark roast blend. Dark roast was bitter enough to jolt her awake, and then by the time she would finish downing that mug, she would have her second, a well-balanced donut shop cup, which went well with a surprising amount of ingredients thrown in. If Jaehee had more time, she would experiment more with adding flavors to medium roasts rather than syrup or honey or a dash of cinnamon like she would often switch between.

This time though, she didn’t add anything to her coffee other than the standard cream and two sugars. There was no time to waste.

Her phone went off while the second coffee was being made, a beeping noise indicating she had received yet another email for a guest to come and visit C&R’s building...tomorrow at eight am?

“No,” Jaehee said, nearly dropping her mug of dark roast coffee. She was glad she didn’t. It would mess up her routine. “I know for certain that the Golf Clothing Company was supposed to come next month, not tomorrow.” Then again, she had noticed things seemed differently placed in her planner rather than the way she scheduled it.

“What is going on?” she asked herself.

She set the coffee aside, not caring that she would be a few minutes behind schedule and used both her thumbs to log onto Mr. Han’s planner.

Mr. Han...He was going through a crisis and yet survived all of these meetings.

Maybe it was the fact that he was surviving due to his feelings for the new girl giving him a sense of life and purpose...or maybe that was what destroyed him, Jaehee couldn’t decide. Jaehee thought it was obvious to anyone that he had developed something for the girl over the past week, and it was mutual on her part.

How things were going to go from now on was anyone’s guess, but when she took a look at tomorrow’s planner, there was twice as many meetings as before.

This couldn’t be an error, could it?

Jaehee looked for the day after, which had just as many meetings.

Something was very, very wrong here.

She kept scrolling to next week and the week after, which happened to be the week of Mr. Chairman’s wedding and the week after that.

The entire planner was blank.

Jaehee gasped. “What is the meaning of this?” She looked around her surroundings and then back at the calendar. The days were still blank, causing a cold jolt that sent shivers down Jaehee’s spine. She left both cups of coffee on her kitchen counter and got dressed, her hands shaking with dread over what this could possibly mean.

It couldn’t be the hacker...could it? Not very many people had access to Mr. Han’s planner, but she couldn’t ignore the possibility of it being hacked.

But if this was made from the higher-ups in Mr. Chairman’s group, then this was too much. Already there was tons of work and without Mr. Han, who was already moping and not himself, things would be a disaster at C&R. And with the upcoming wedding, profits were going to plummet and she didn’t want to run the risk of being jobless again.

Worse yet, if she was jobless and future employers saw her resume due to C&R having a bad reputation, she would suffer greatly from it. Jaehee did not suffer through life with her aunt, uncle, and college for this.

Nothing was going to stop her. She was going to find answers.

* * *

Sarah’s hand kept ghosting Jumin’s and he stiffened in his seat. They had box seating, so Sarah could set her hand aside and be none the wiser, but she was acting quite strange today.

Jumin did his best to avoid Sarah on a regular basis, but things felt different than usual with her. She kept squirming about and Jumin could tell that she was staring at him from the corner of her eyes. In truth, Jumin was also not paying attention to the show, which was a retelling of Romeo and Juliet, as he found himself fiddling with his white gloves.

Out of the corner of his eyes he could see his father grasping Glam’s hand, their fingers interlocked. For a moment, Jumin wondered what the sensation was like, to have all five of your fingers intertwined with another human being’s. To have that level of intimacy and trust...

Jumin remembered the phone call he made over two hours ago, how it was the first time since…

Actually, he had never felt this kind of connection before. Not even with Rika.

Jumin never thought the new coordinator was capable of making him rethink his life, his priorities, and the promises he had been forced to make to the people that were sitting in this box with him.

_“I want to be that person for you. Please don’t be lonely anymore.”_ Her voice was so soft and full of emotions Jumin couldn’t recognize, but he at least understood now that her tone and words were multifaceted. He closed his eyes as Juliet hit a high note, then Romeo joining in as they shared their third duet. Jumin’s mind went back to that call. Maybe it was just him, but in that moment, Jumin felt his arm was reaching out to the girl’s, his hand pleading to catch hers, and she was offering herself in return.

Jumin wanted to see her, to make sure she was safe. He had already made some arrangements a few days ago in an effort to aid her in regards to that financial situation she was now facing, but he was still waiting for V’s callback to fully implement them...

The actors’ voices drowned out his thoughts as they hit a crescendo.  Romeo and Juliet held hands in the same manner as Father and Glam. If Jumin remembered the ending properly, Romeo and Juliet would die. The lights had come back on, and the audience began to scatter somewhat below, indicating that they had reached an intermission.

“That was beautiful!” Glam said, wiping a tear off her face. His father bent over and kissed her temple and Jumin felt a stab of something he felt earlier in the day. It was the same feeling Jumin had when Zen dreamed about Elizabeth the 3rd and the possibility of her getting…

“I guess,” Sarah said, “they’re both dumb kids anyway. Anyone could see that,” she said, her voice oddly stony.

“Yes, four wines for us, all dark red, the Bordeaux will do fine,” Father said to one of the employees.

“Would you like cheese with that?”

He looked at Glam, Sarah, and at Jumin himself.

Jumin still didn’t know how to act around him. Neither of them had exchanged that many words other than hellos and business related small-talk when they first met up. Instead, he just awkwardly shrugged.

“Yes, give us the cheese you believe goes best,” Father said again.

“But this is a beautiful story, Sarah,” Glam said, taking her hand away from her fiancé andstanding up. “When Romeo sings ‘these violent delights have violent ends’...” She faked a shuddering. “Don't you agree?”

Sarah replied by crossing her arms.

Jumin’s suspicions were confirmed. Sarah _was_ acting strange today, and he couldn’t figure out why. Usually, Sarah was the most obvious person in the world, her intentions clear as day to him, but this was perplexing.

“This is why you quit acting and became a businesswoman, my dear. A true thespian would find this exhilarating, feeling the force of their love come together.” Glam widened her eyes for effect, looking at Jumin. He didn’t feel the need to exchange eye contact with her. “What are your thoughts, Jumin?” she asked.

“I’m not a person in the arts so I cannot reasonably say I understand what you’re describing with full certainty,” he said. For some reason, Zen flashed into his mind, his voice echoing in his head over how much of a jerk he was being, despite Zen not having called him names in the past few days. He was still immature and petty, yet he had backed away.

Not that Jumin cared or anything.

“I find it quite beautiful!” Father said, “Even if I never studied the arts.”

“Well, that’s because you’re extraordinary, my love!” Glam said.

Jumin tightened his glove, feeling bile rising up his throat. A few seconds later, a tray with wine and cheeses was presented to him and he took the glass of wine, feeling eager to down the entire drink.

“No son, before you drink a drop of that wine, I’d like us all to rise. They were silent. “Let’s raise a glass. To my beautiful fianceé, who will finally be my wife in just a few days, and to my son, who will someday inherit my job pass down his title to his future sons.

Sarah let out a nervous titter.

“That’s why I’m proposing that the four of us are to go to Qatar next week for our honeymoon.”

Jumin dropped his wine glass, its contents spilling onto the floor. The glass did not shatter, but the fall itself had made Sarah gasp, her voice echoing throughout the box. “Excuse me?”

“Oh no, waiter, a new glass, please,” Glam said.

“No,” Jumin said, feeling the world blur around him. “Repeat that again, Father.”

“I have set aside your schedule for the next two weeks. You and Sarah have never had a proper honeymoon and I—”

“Are you saying that you want _me_ to sacrifice C &R for some honeymoon vacation? Not when there’s all this work to be done. That’s negligence.” The work was already intense because of the wedding itself, but now he was asking for the impossible.

“Jumin, you’ve never taken a day off work since you were twenty-three and started working for the company. Even on your wedding day, you were still proof-reading and signing documents.”

“Yes, because you were off with Glam in Bali or Jakarta or whatever it was days before the arrangement so I had to clean up after you,” the words were tumbling out of his mouth, which was getting increasingly dryer. “Just like I cleaned up after all your other girlfriends.” Jumin bit his tongue in an effort to not bring up the can of worms that was the subject of his previous assistants and how all of them had succumbed to the allure of his father.

“Are you still going to act like a child, Jumin? All my life, I felt nothing but pride towards you and now, you’re being petulant. I forgave you for the other night, but—”

“I can’t do this, Father.”

“Oh, Jumin, listen to your father,” Glam said. “He’s acting in your best interest.”

“You have no right to talk to me,” he said, not even glancing in Glam’s direction.

Jumin closed his eyes and felt himself moving away. Was this what was called “an out of body experience”?

He could barely hear Father calling his name, his steps feeling louder than his father’s voice.

The next thing Jumin knew, he was out of the opera house. He took a deep breath, steeling himself, and began his walking around the parking lot, where Driver Kim’s car was parked.

“Driver Kim,” Jumin said, tapping on the car window. He lowered it, visibly shocked to see him.

“Mr. Han?”

“We need to leave.”

“But where are your—”

“I don’t care. Just drive when I get in. I don’t care where you go. Just keep going until I say otherwise.” Jumin didn't care that he was unaccompanied by his bodyguards, or  that he was acting alone and on impulse.

Driver Kim followed his instructions perfectly and Jumin sat down, checking his phone.

Already he had three missed calls from his father and an incoming one, which he ignored.

He had a curious text message from Assistant Kang, as well as several missed calls from her.

 

**Mr. Han, please call me when you are available. There is something we must speak of.**

 

He thought she had the early part of the afternoon off. Why was she bothering him? Unless it was RFA related. Maybe there was a chance that V had finally responded.

He called her back.

“Mr. Han!” she said, her voice very much unlike her usual tone.

“Assistant Kang? What is it?” he said, trying to compose himself.

“When I woke up earlier this afternoon, I found a discrepancy in our planners. It seemed like our work was only multiplying, but next week and the week after, the planner is blank. I’m at C&R trying to find out why are calendars were altered, but I haven’t found my answer. The signs don't point to a hacking or anything malicious, but I wanted to be absolutely certain before  letting Luciel know of this...”

“I have the answer to that.”

“You do? I was hoping you would.” _Passion,_ Jumin thought, _Assistant Kang is speaking with passion...and stress._ His recognition of emotions even in this strange, out of body experience he was having was leading him to some weird thoughts.

“Father had them wiped.”

“What? Why would Mr. Chairman do that?”

“Because I’m set to go on a vacation with him, Sarah, and Glam Choi after the wedding. Because he is irresponsible and inconsiderate and I am just a plaything for him and his fianceé.” He heard her breathe in sharply on the other line. “Assistant Kang, if Father calls you, you will say you have not heard anything from me.”

“Yes, Mr. Han. If that is what you wis—” He cut the line off, not wanting to hear her voice any longer.

Jumin slumped against his seat, disbelieving over these past few minutes. He laid down where he could see the outside world from the sunroof.  He watched the sky.  It was darkening, but still a bright blue. He had never stopped to look at it before. Jumin Han had always thought of himself as unstoppable, but now…

_“This is between you and me, but I’d like to get to know Jumin better, too. And you, of course. Protect him, alright kitty?”_ Her words were so innocent when she spoke to Elizabeth the 3rd last night.

But Elizabeth couldn’t protect him from this. Nothing she could say or do would help him or console him. She was just a cat who could never talk back other than hollow meows.

The words reverberated in his head. _“I care a lot about him. More than he should know.”_

_“I want to be that person for you. Please don’t be lonely anymore.”_

Jumin looked at his phone, watching the empty eyes of Elizabeth the 3rd that served as his wallpaper gazing back him and hit speed dial.

She picked up almost instantaneously.

“It’s me,” he said.

“Hey! I thought you were at the opera!”

“No, not anymore. I need to see you right now.”

“Huh?” her voice was confused. “Jumin? Are you okay?”

“Please,” he said, hating how he sounded as if he were pleading with her. “Come and see me.”

“But how? And where would we even meet?”

“It doesn’t matter where. If you'd like we can meet somewhere public.”

She was quiet on the other line. For a moment, Jumin felt a stab of something he couldn't recognize. _What if she says no?_ He never knew how to deal with rejection. He was so used to seeing others face the sting of rejection from him that it never occurred to him that he was capable of feeling it as well. The anticipation was agonizing.

“Um...Do you know where the 73rd building is?”

“I do not, but Driver Kim does.”

“I'll be there in half an hour if I go now via subway. I’ll be on my way.”

Jumin felt relief at her words and something else he couldn’t recognize. “I look forward to it. I'll see you then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! Even though this chapter was somewhat of a pain to write/edit. Please let me know if you're feeling hype.


	28. Chapter 27: Day 7, 5:05 PM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which two old friends meet again, while our hero and heroine finally meet.

 

“Say ‘God Seven is Yoosung Kim’s master’ in Arabic,” an automated voice said from the door. If it wasn’t for how dry it sounded, Yoosung would have mistaken it for Seven’s own voice. Then again, Seven was capable of going to extreme lengths with his trolling so maybe Yoosung couldn’t rule it out.

“No!” Yoosung said, pounding at the door. “Seven! Open the door!”

“Door is now two percent damaged. Say ‘I want to dance’ in Arabic before level two security commences.” 

“Seven, come on!” Yoosung didn’t have time for this. 

“Yoosung, wait!” Yoosung heard Seven’s faint voice from the other side of the door. Moments later the door opened vertically as if it belonged in  a futuristic sci-fi movie. Seven stood his behind it, his bright red hair frizzy and unkempt as it was the last time Yoosung saw him. 

But besides that, he looked far older than the last time Yoosung saw him.

_ Is Seven okay? _ Yoosung asked himself, watching the dark, purplish circles underneath his eyes. “Seven...What the hell did you put in your security system?”

Seven flashed him a smile, yet it betrayed his eyes. “I customized it! You like it?” Yoosung walked in, carrying his backpack with him.

“I knew it. What kind of security system wants me to say ‘I want to dance’ in Arabic?” Yoosung felt his vision going red, which caused Seven’s smile to only widen. “Seriously! Even camels can’t understand their mother language, so how the hell would I even know that?”

Seven shrugged. “I haven’t had any problems until now. Mary Vanderwood got in fine.”

Yoosung widened his eyes and took in his surroundings. Seven’s place was a sty so it may have been possible Mary Vanderwood hadn’t been here in a while. “You’re saying your maid knows Arabic, too? I thought she was just a maid.”

“Ya, she’s just my maid, silly. It only means you have to catch up and learn some Arabic, Yoosung Kim.”

“How the hell would I study Arabic?”

“It’s easy! Didn’t they teach you in middle school?”

Yoosung spun around. “Seven...What kind of middle school did you go to?”

“The one you didn’t go to, obviously. Now, are you ready to take the chips?”

Yoosung’s anger had quickly evaporated at the mention of chips. “Of course! Gimme, gimme!”

Seven took out an already opened bag seemingly out of thin air. “But first, eat this!” He extended the bag in Yoosung’s direction. Yoosung stuck his hand inside the bag and grabbed as many chips as he could. 

“Yay! I’m so excited!” Yoosung placed his hand full of chips to his mouth and began munching on all of them at once. “But this isn’t it. You’d said you’d give me boxes?” he asked, his mouth full.

“Of course I’ll give you boxes. If you just help me with this one thing, I’ll give you half the Honey Buddha Chips I have.” Seven began walking and Yoosung trailed after him, where they stopped at another door where there was a yellow sticker with a giant “WARNING!” in bold letters and in all caps. Yoosung figured it was for aesthetic reasons.

Seven pressed in a code and the door opened vertically. A dimly lit storage room could be seen with shelves full of cardboard boxes containing Honey Buddha Chips. There was no possible way even three of those boxes could fit in Yoosung’s apartment.

“Whoa...You have a whole warehouse of them!”

“I already wrapped the ones I want to give to you, but this is my collection~.”

“You’re so prepared! So why are you showing me this?”

Seven shrugged. 

“Wait a minute...I thought you were busy trying to catch the hacker? How did you even have the time to wrap them?”

Seven pushed back his glasses, his index finger pushing it through the sides. “God Seven can’t just work all day.”

“Oh, okay, just tell me what I need to do for you.”

Seven pulled a bag of chips from an open box and handed it to Yoosung, then made his way back into the main room. “First, eat that bag and wait. I’ll tell you when I get everything organized.”

“Oh...Okay...So am I staying the night here?”

“Yup! Just sleep anywhere you’d like or play LOLOL with one  of these computers.”

“Oh, I quit for real this time.” Yoosung loosened the straps of his backpack and brought it to his front, unzipping it and showing Seven the calculus books he had inside. “You know calculus, right?”

Seven gave him the ghost of a smirk. “Of course I do. I’m the God of binary numbers and all things math!” Seven walked over to the biggest desk, the one with at least a dozen computer screens attached to the wall. One of the screens showed something mundane-looking, a hallway with vases between each room.

“Are you watching over something? It looks like you’re spying on someone’s house, but you wouldn’t do that, right?.”

Seven’s gaze got a bit more serious. “Don’t mind it and wait, okay? Let me work a bit and we’ll talk later. Go sit down and be a good boy, Yoosung.” Seven raised the headphones that were laying around his neck to his ears and began typing away. 

Yoosung stared at Seven for a long while as he typed. He was the same person, but different than the friend he would hang out with in times past, yet he couldn't place his finger on why.

“The playground,” Seven murmured.

“Huh?” Yoosung said.

“That must be it…”

Yoosung decided to set those thoughts aside, bringing himself to sit on Seven's couch. He took out his calculus workbook and began to catch up on his homework, trying not to let his concerned thoughts of his friend distract him.

* * *

_ Oh my god, I’m doing this! _

_ I’m  _ really  _ doing this! _

_ I’m gonna see Jumin Han. _

You had left Rika’s apartment thirty minutes ago right after Jumin had called you, barely catching the subway that would lead you to the 73rd building. You watched the time that was displayed on a digital clock located right above the exit doors.

It was now five thirty-five and your stop was coming up. Your stomach was tied up in knots and your breathing felt heavy. You dug into your purse and took out your compact mirror to look at yourself for one last time. 

_ Hair: decent. _

_ Lipgloss: ehh, but doable. _

_ Face: just enough foundation to make my face look natural, but not enough to look obvious. _

The lighting in the subway wasn't enough for you to truly evaluate your looks through a compact mirror, but you needed to calm down. 

The subway stopped, indicating it was time for you to leave. You rushed out, feeling almost desperate to go to the 73rd building. The suggestion of meeting up at the 73rd building was the first thing that came to mind. It was public and a well-known locale. You remembered taking a field trip there when you were in school and learning that it was called the 73rd building because it technically had seventy-three floors, but only seventy of them were accessible, with the seventieth floor being the top floor. 

The walk to the 73rd building wouldn't be too long, but you didn't want to keep Jumin waiting. You were tempted to check your face and hair again through a nearby bathroom mirror, but time was wasting and you didn't know just how long you’d be with him.

Yet this would be his first impression of you. He was a businessman: first impressions were everything to him.

You carried on, going up the stairs where the surface was. Every few steps you ran your fingers through your hair and repositioned your purse in various ways until you eventually decided to keep it snug against your waist. 

You couldn't tell if time was speeding up or going slowly ever since that phone call when Jumin begged you to come see him. You were still in disbelief that you were going to meet Jumin Han within minutes.

And yet it felt like no one else in the RFA had known you were going to see Jumin. Seven wasn't dialing you up and you had checked the app a few times to see if anyone was online.

No one had logged into the chat since earlier in the afternoon. Everyone else in the RFA must have been busy.

You kept walking and saw the 73rd building in the distance.  _ There it is. The 73rd building, and somewhere inside of it Jumin Han is waiting for me.  _ You paused and took a deep breath before your mind went on overdrive.

The building had a decent amount of tourists and people hanging out, but it wasn’t as bad as you knew it usually was. You took out your phone and scrolled to Jumin's business card in the RFA app and dialed his number.

He picked up almost immediately. “It's me.”

“Where are you? I'll need to know what floor you're in.”

“I'm on the seventieth floor where the observation deck is.” Of course he picked the last floor to wait for you. You weren’t afraid of heights but you were so on edge that being on the top floor of a building could petrify you.

“Okay, don't hang up. This is how I'll be able to find you.” You still had to keep your wits about you, even if the butterflies were floating around your stomach at a pace unlike ever before.

You took an elevator and kept the phone close to your ear, torn between enjoying the silence and feeling like you were going to explode from it. 

The elevator rose and you faced away from the glass, not wanting to feel the vertigo associated with it rising. Not when your nerves were going to kill you as is.

“What are you wearing?” Jumin asked.

“Huh?” 

“Your clothes. I need to be able to recognize you.”

The question took you off-guard. “Oh. Uh, cream colored sweater...Black belt at the waist. Um, black leggings.” It was the outfit you had been wearing nonstop for a week and you felt grateful you washed it yesterday. “I'm wearing pumps, too. They match my sweater.” You were surprised he couldn't sense the shaking in your voice.

He was quiet.

“What about you?”

“You'll know when you'll see me,” he said. You could picture a smirk on his face.

“Really? You're just gonna mess with me like that?”

The elevator kept rising, stopping at the fortieth floor where some of the occupants left. It brought the suspense and frustration at a standstill. You just wanted to see him and be over it.

These nerves were most unbecoming of you.

The elevator stopped again at the sixtieth floor and the majority of the people within it left. You couldn't remember if that was the floor with the cinema or with the restaurant, but it didn't matter because now you had ten floors left to go.

_ Nine. _

_ Eight. _

“I'll be there soon,” you said softly, forgetting you had the phone to your ear.  _ Whoa, you need to calm down. Close your eyes. _

You followed your own directions. “I'm awaiting your arrival,” Jumin said, his voice just as low. It gave you goosebumps and you were glad your arms weren’t visible through your sweater or else they’d be a dead giveaway to how up the wall your nerves were.

The elevator opened for the last time when it reached the seventieth floor, its remaining occupants leaving. You felt afraid to leave, which rendered immobile. The doors began to close and your paralysis had vanished. You flung forward, hitting the “doors open” button on the elevator wall.

_ Whatever happens, happens, _ your mind said. Yet everything felt like it was building up to this moment. It was do or die.

You walked forward, your heels clicking against the pavement, making a soft sound. You were now standing near the railing and the plexiglass wall behind it. The observation deck was large and had a three-sixty view of the city. Jumin could be anywhere and you didn’t want to have the two of you waste time while searching for each other.

“I'm here,” you said while turning around and eyeing the people.

None of them looked like the man you saw in the photos. 

“I'll find you.” 

“Um, okay. Go for it.” Your eyes kept wandering, searching for Jumin despite being stationary. He had to be somewhere. “If it's any help, I'm close to the elevators, directly across from them.” There was an echo this time to your voice.

“I see you, turn to your left.”

You did as instructed.

_ It's him. _

He was standing within a few yards away. He was right: he was instantly recognizable and out of place, wearing a gray suit with a black tie and white gloves. It brought out his eyes, which were a darker shade of gray than the suit he wore. They currently registered shock.

_ Wow he's tall. _

_ And he's gorgeous. _

_ Whoa... _

_ I'm not worthy to be standing in front of this man. _

“Hi,” you said, taking the phone away your ear. You were careful not to drop it while you hung up.

“It's you…” He repeated your actions and walked closer. “Hello. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“Yeah, same.”

_ I'm not gonna survive this. _

He made eye contact with you and then immediately looked elsewhere. “I'm sorry. I just looked into your eyes.”

“Uh, yeah. S-same. Sorry.” You scolded yourself for your repetitive language. This was a man who you had this giant emotional connection to, one who you racked up hours of conversation with and yet the words coming out of your mouth were barely making any sense.

You felt your face going red. 

“I'm...I’m so glad to finally meet you, though,” you said, feeling the butterflies in the pit of your stomach reacting. You tried to steady your breathing. 

“I am nervous to meet you, I admit.”  _ Good. He feels the same. _

“Ditto,” you said.

You could barely breathe. Mostly due to how everything felt like it had fallen in place, but also due to how awkward the two of you were being.  _ Control your breaths. In...Out...In... _

“I didn't think I'd see you until the party.”

“Right?” you said. You felt your body temperature rise. “Um, I think maybe we should uh…” You couldn't think of what to say next and you hated yourself for not being able to keep your own around this man the way you did on the phone and in the chats.

“Walk around? It might relieve tension,” he said. “I'm not used to meeting others for pleasure.”

“That, yes. Of course.”

_ Goddamn, he's hot, _ the rebel side said.

_ Seriously. No wonder he's dangerous _ , the rational side said.

You began to walk around the floor with him, stealing a few glances. Jumin looked just like he did in the photos. Except he was even more stunning to look at in person. _The photos don’t do him justice._ You could see people staring at him as you made your way around the floor. _Of course they’re looking at him. He’s beautiful._

But at the same time, there was something off about the way he carried himself. You needed to set your nerves aside and ask him what was going on.

“So... I'm not here for just any reason. Something happened at the opera,” you said, getting to the point. There was desperation in that last phone call. It wasn't like you could say no, but you knew you  _ couldn't _ . The Jumin Han from half an hour ago sounded like he was going to explode and damage everything around him. Even though he looked almost deceptively soft right now, you had to drill this fact into your head.

“Yes,” he said in a terse manner, stopping in an area where there seemed to be less people around. The view was beautiful. The day was starting to darken and the city lights were beginning to turn on, despite the sun having not set. The city looked peaceful as the Han River flowed below at a distance.

“You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to,” you said, watching the view. It was much easier to talk to him without making full eye contact. 

“Thank you. I'd rather focus on this moment with you.”

It brought you back to one of your earlier conversations where he once said he felt most alive in the present. You never agreed with him more.

“It's a beautiful view,” you said. “Have you been here before?”

“No. But I've seen better ones. Have you ever seen a desert sunrise before?”

“I haven't...I haven't really left the country before.” Your mom refused to get you a passport, despite your father’s protest. You were too broke to get one after you split off from your mother.

“That's a shame. I have a picture of it on my phone,” he said, taking his phone. “It’ll be different than experiencing the actual sunrise, but maybe you’ll understand at least a fraction of why it’s beautiful.” You tore your gaze off the view and faced Jumin, watching him intently as he scrolled through his phone. 

You wondered how he was able to see, his hair floppy and covering his eyes.  _ Perhaps he's used to it. _

“Ah, here it is.” He handed you his phone. It was no doubt expensive compared to yours. But there it was, an HD image of endless sand dunes practically merging with a blue-purple sky. It was kind of blurry, but the blurriness added to it, making it look like a watercolor painting.

“Is this real?” you said, unable to tear your gaze from it. “It's beautiful.”

“I can guarantee it.” You gave him back the phone, making eye contact with him again. The awkwardness remained, but the tension lessened. “I actually enjoy visiting the desert. But going on trips, even business trips are much more enjoyable with made with the right people.”

You nodded as you began to walk besides him once again. “Makes sense.”  _ Actually that makes zero sense, but whatever, _ the rebel side said.

_ We need to focus on what he's saying and read between the lines. If you're here it's because he's upset. Don’t lose control, now _ , the rationalist said.

_ But he doesn't look upset anymore. _

_ Yeah, because you're here. _

“I suppose if there's an actual purpose behind going somewhere, then it's for the better,” you said.

“I disagree,” he said, his voice sharp.

Cold sweat began to run down your back. “Sorry, I just…” 

Your gaze went back to him, his eyes looked sharp. Almost shark-like. You couldn't let your addled brain mess up your words.

You continued, ransacking your mind for the right thing to say, ignoring the butterflies flying rampant in the pit of your stomach. “I sometimes forget your life seems to have so many layers to it that aren’t easy to understand at first glance. It’s like it has this duality to it... I wish it weren't that way, though. You're so wond….”

_ Wonderful...Don’t say that, you idiot.  _

You caught your breath. Thankfully, Jumin spoke up.

“I'm sorry for taking on that tone with you. I'm still upset over what happened. I should learn to control my anger.”

His gaze softened. 

“It's okay. It's important you can recognize what you're feeling and by identifying that, we can take action. So... do you want to chill?” 

“Chill?” he asked, looking confused. “Oh, ‘chill’. Such as hanging out?”

“Yeah,” you said. “We don't have to talk or anything. We can just sit down on one of these benches and relax. It's been quite a day, hasn't it?”

He nodded. “It has been.” You saw his phone go off in his hand and he hit the reject button. Jumin sat down on a bench, taking off his jacket, revealing a white, long sleeved dress shirt under a dark gray vest.

His clothing looked immaculately stitched and detailed, reminding you that he was financially on a completely different level than you. But despite that, he still felt human to you.

You sat down besides him.

“You're not cold, are you?” he asked.

“No. I'm fine.”

“Let me know.” You looked over at him as his back arched against the bench, eyes closed. His stance had relaxed and his breathing became normal.

You began to match his breathing pace and started to feel slightly more comfortable around him.

Jumin spoke up, his eyes still closed. “Do you see them too? The threads?”

“The threads? Like knots?”

Jumin opened his eyes and moved forward, looking down, yet his face was slightly tilted in your direction. “Nevermind. I was speaking out of turn. It won't make sense. It barely makes sense to me.”

His gaze was centered on your hands, which were interlocked and made into a ball right above your lap. You were holding back on touching him, the need to hold his hand and tell him he was safe. Maybe it was a good thing you couldn't see his hands, specifically the ring that was inevitably located on his finger, concealed by that white glove. You didn't want to think of Sarah or of his obligations. Not now.

“Okay…”

You were quiet once again. The conversation topics didn't come to you, your mind blank and overwhelmed by his presence. Perhaps in time that could possibly change.

He inched back, moving his jacket over to his lap and stared at the sky.

“What are you thinking about?” he asked.

_ How beautiful you are, inside and out. How I can't ever truly have you. How awkward this all is. How everything feels both intense and abated all at once when you're around. How stupid I am for wanting you and throwing out all sensibilities out the window when it comes to you. _

“I'm worried.”

“What about?”

“I don't know if the hacker is going to strike anymore, since it’s been quiet, but I'm so much more worried about you than anything else,” you said. What you were saying was the truth even with all of the other less cohesive and more emotional thoughts running rampant. You kept your gaze skyward and away from him, afraid you were going to slip up and admit all of the things he made you feel.

“That's a foolish thing to say,” he replied.

“It is, isn’t it?” You paused. “But I'm here already,” you said.

“Good. I'm a fool, too, for wanting you here with me.”

You made eye contact with him and for the first time, you didn’t feel awkward. You were wanted here and he could tell the feeling was mutual, even if the two of you were being stupid.

It was worth it.

You felt a smile creep up. He returned it only slightly, causing yours to widen.

“Okay, now you  _ must _ tell me what you're thinking about.”

You tried your best not to laugh. You moved your entire body in his direction and met his gaze. The discomfort you had been feeling were starting to slowly dissipate. “Every day I get asked by you and the rest of the RFA the same questions: did you eat? Did you have lunch? But no one ever asks  _ you  _ that.”

“That's because I have my own chef and nutritionist on call.”

“Well, duh. But I'm gonna ask you now: Jumin, did you have your dinner?”

His face registered a momentary shock. “No, I did not. And I'm certain neither did you.”

“I know a really good, reliable place close by.”

Jumin’s smile dropped.

“Do you trust me…?” you said, making your voice as playful as you could.

“I know that I…” he began with hesitation, “I should. I actually trust you more than anyone else right now. So keeping that in mind, what do you propose?”

You felt a spark snap within you the way it usually did when you were about to do something mischievous. It was a deviant idea but you knew you'd never regret this.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so when I was redoing Zen's route for the normal end, I saw that Jaehee suggested meeting Driver Kim at the 73rd building in order for him to pick you up and to meet Zen. I think I was like three chapters in writing this piece when I saw that and was like "omg I should like totally have them meet here since Driver Kim knows where it's at". The 73rd building is apparently based on the real-life 63rd building and I tried to base it around that, although I took some liberties. 
> 
> Also anyone wanna take a guess as to what MC has in mind or general thoughts on their meeting? One of my closest friends accidentally guessed it and I was like "how are we not related"?


	29. Chapter 28: Day 7, 6:12 PM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A plan is made; our hero and heroine have dinner.

 

“And there, okie!” Seven said, stressing the “ie” in “okie”. Another hard day’s work done again.

Seven turned his swivel chair around, making sure to spin it four times, since four was a nice number. Yet it wasn’t as nice as the numbers in the Fibonacci sequence were, but Seven was in a square root mood today. He saw Yoosung was passed out on his couch, his hand hanging in mid air. A calculus book covered Yoosung’s face, but his breathing indicated he was sleeping.

Seven felt tempted to run to his kitchen, fill one of his glasses to the brim, and place it right under Yoosung’s finger just to see what would happen. The impulse went away just as quickly as it arrived when Seven rationalized he needed Yoosung to fully trust him today. It was essential for Yoosung to cooperate with his plans, so any sort of pranking was a negative.

He had already lost 606 Polaris through his actions last night, which was an admittedly stupid move on his part, but the playful hacker persona was just itching to come out and play thanks to all of the attacks on privacy affecting his already high stress levels. He was used to offending Jumin Han, yet when Seven and Zen mocked Jumin’s cathartic messages, it struck a chord with Polaris and she was ready to fight and leave Seven for dead. It was probably Seven’s poor behavior that influenced her to leave the apartment this morning. 

Polaris had been playing along so nicely until then, and to an extent, she still was, but Seven knew he had to get things resolved with the hacker ASAP before she could pull off another outing and get herself in trouble. She had been quiet as of late, but Seven assumed she was probably taking care of the guests or napping. He had looked away from the surveillance screens when Yoosung arrived an hour ago, but Seven believed it was doubtful she would have left, and there was no use going over boring tapes consisting of the previous seven days.

Seven got the cardboard box he had made for Yoosung and walked over to where he was. He placed it on the floor and carefully moved the calculus book away from Yoosung’s face, placing it next to the box. Then he moved Yoosung’s upper body up, making sure his head would lay on his lap like a pillow. Seven sat down, amazed that Yoosung hadn't woken up yet.  _ This is better than that water idea! Oh, yes! God Seven is a genius!  _ It was a harmless prank, nothing that would upset Yoosung for too long.

Yoosung stirred, making a fetal position in Seven’s lap.

Yoosung was really cute, and although Seven was certain if he tried hard enough he could out-cute him.

“Aww, look at little Yooboo stirring in his sleep.”

“Hmm?...Ah!” Yoosung shot straight up like an arrow from the realization that he was laying on Seven's lap. “Oi! Seven! That’s not a good thing to do!”

“But you were so cute!” Seven made kissing faces at Yoosung, trying to imitate the way his emoji would do so. “Dreaming about the world of numbers really becomes you, Yooyoo.”

“Ew, don’t even talk to me about numbers.” Yoosung yawned but paused mid-yawn, his mouth open and his violet eyes directly on the box. “Are those my chips?” he said with excitement. 

“Ya,” Seven said. “Like I said, Yoosung Kim is zero in line.” Seven balled his right hand into a fist for effect.

“Gimme, gimme!” Yoosung said, lunging forward and grabbing the box. He tore the ribbon apart and opened the first bag of chips he could get his hands on. Yoosung began eating voraciously. “Mmm, Seven, this is delicious!” Yoosung began to make several satisfied noises at eating the chips and Seven was able to identify when the sweet spot hit his tongue. 

Yoosung finished the bag in seconds. 

“That was so good, Seven!”

“Do you want a Ph.D Pepper?”

Yoosung shook his head. “So what do you want from me?”

Seven shook his head. “Huh? Seven wants nothing but Yoosung Kim’s time and energy. It’s simple.”

Yoosung took out a second bag and began to fiddle with the top part, his fingers playing with the flaps in a back and forth motion. “ _ That’s _ what you need from me?” Yoosung said after swallowing a mouthful of chips, but the way he said it was as if he was completely skeptical of Seven’s words. It had only been a day since Yoosung quit LOLOL. There was no way he could have sharpened up  _ this much  _ in so little time. Seven had to admit he was impressed by this change in his behavior.

“Ya,” Seven said. 

“You’re not fooling me, Seven. Do you think I’m stupid or something? You kept staring at this one building through one of the screens when I saw you earlier. It looked like a temple...or a castle of some sort, and there were mountains.” Yoosung closed his eyes. “That’s the hacker’s headquarters, isn’t it?”

Yoosung was totally right.

Seven thought about all the previous times Yoosung was around when they were teenagers. They would watch the newer Sherlockington episodes and Yoosung would figure out the mysteries before Sherlockington did, as well as the gaping holes in the plot. 

Even though Seven thought the gullible, LOLOL obsessed version of Yoosung was a welcome distraction from the pressure and emptiness of his life, he found himself quickly warming up to this new version of Yoosung.

Yoosung had figured it out. It was time for Seven to activate Serious Mode. “That’s where I traced the IP address. No one has come in or out  of the building, but it’s worth checking out.”

“And that’s why you need me. It must be super dangerous there, in that case.”

Seven wasn’t sure if he should lie to Yoosung, especially since he was starting to become a lot more observant since quitting LOLOL. “Nothing’s going to be dangerous.”

“I don’t believe you.”  _ Little Yoosung Kim is impenetrable today. _

“I just want to look around the place and be certain that this is the hacker’s headquarters. I need this hacker thing to be finished before the party.” Seven wished he didn’t have to say it so seriously, but there was no other way Yoosung could understand how important this was.

Yoosung moved the Honey Buddha Chip bag to his lap. “You’re right about that.”

“That’s why you’ll be on lookout duty. It’s nothing serious.”

“Okay Seven. I’ll help you, since everyone’s safety is at risk. But what do I do with my bodyguards?” There was the matter of Yoosung’s bodyguards, who were standing outside of Seven’s building at the moment. Seven didn’t want them knowing where the hacker’s base was and would have to dismiss them until further notice.

“God Seven will take care of it, no worries!”

Yoosung opened up a third bag of Honey Buddha Chips. “When do we leave?”

V was gonna kill him if he found out Yoosung was going with him, but there was no one else Seven could have trusted. Yet Seven was a man with a plan, albeit a plan that was still in formation. Seven was never the type of guy to go in something with everything calculated the way Jumin Han would, but Seven was much better at handling things as they came along. “Tomorrow night. We’ll get there early morning two days before the party, then we come back and go from there.” His next assignment would start that following day, too, and Seven didn’t want Miss Vanderwood to meet anyone involved with the RFA in person, otherwise that would cause a few too many complications.

Yoosung nodded.

V was going to be upset if he found out that Seven was going to take Yoosung on this dangerous trip, but he had to push those thoughts behind. Yoosung was here for the first time in ages and Seven wanted to hang with his friend in the way they used to. His job didn’t allow him to have friends, but Yoosung was important to him.

“I’m free for now, so do you wanna hang out like old times?”

“Really?!”

“Ya.”

“Yes! What do you have in mind?”

“Do you still remember how to drive stick, or do I have to teach you again?” It would be good if Yoosung knew how to make a proper getaway if needed.

Yoosung’s eyes lit up. “Yes! Car ride, car ride! Let’s go!” he said, not answering Seven’s question. He got up from the couch and circled the gate like a puppy needing a walk. While he got his things ready, Seven looked at the surveillance cameras one last time. He hoped Polaris was doing okay. 

* * *

 

“Are you sure that I shouldn’t call Driver Kim to pick us up?” Jumin asked as the two of you walked into the elevator.

“Yep, I’m totally sure! The place I have in mind is really close.” 

Jumin returned your assurance with a skeptical glance as people pressed the buttons of where they intended to go. Someone had already pressed the first floor button, so you just stood beside Jumin near the corner of the glass elevator. Some of the awkwardness from earlier was back, with Jumin giving you an intense stare. You looked away, instead focusing on the city lights turning on one by one and the cars in the streets below, yet you still felt his gaze on you. After a couple of moments, you craned your head a little in Jumin’s direction and saw him with his arms crossed, his gloves clenching his elbows, showing he was visibly uncomfortable.  _ If only I knew what was  going through his mind.  _ Maybe it was all of the strangers in this elevator. Or maybe he was feeling weird that you were the one familiar person in this packed elevator. Or perhaps something else was bugging him, something that had to do with that ill-fated trip to the opera.

You saw a limo waiting from across the building, parked in a No Parking Zone. It was most likely Driver Kim and you shot Jumin a glance that said you were intent on walking.

Jumin blinked and made a signal that caused the limo to drive off. His discomfort was apparent. Of course it had to be, he was probably used to having all those bodyguards and…

_ Maybe I shouldn’t be so adamant. _

“Are you doing alright?” Jumin asked.

“Huh?”

“Your hands. You’re shivering.” 

“Huh?” you said again, surprised that he noticed your body reacting to the drop in temperature before you did. You were too worried about him to notice.

“It’s starting to get cold, otherwise you wouldn’t have hid your hands. I wouldn't want the RFA’s party coordinator getting sick before the party.”

You sighed. “Alright, but I'll give this back to you before the end of the night.” It was so much bigger than your arms that you pulled the sleeves back. The jacket smelled fresh and vaguely of clean linens, but it also had another scent to it that you couldn't define. Something personal.

Jumin stared at you. 

“What? I must look ridiculous to you.”

“It’s an uncommon sight, but the jacket looks elegant on you.” You couldn’t help but blush and look straight ahead instead of at him. You tucked your arms inside the sleeves, feeling warmer already.

His legs were much longer than yours, but he was courteous when walking and matched his pace to yours. You glanced at him. Jumin still looked mildly disoriented, but his discomfort made you regain the courage to talk again after his compliment.

“How often do you do this?” you asked. 

“Do what?”

“Walk around the streets of this city.”

“Driver Kim takes me everywhere. I never had the need to walk these streets. I think only when Jih...V would take me to a cafe after we'd visit a gallery.”

It certainly explained why Jumin looked so visibly out of place, but you could now see his discomfort dissipating as you made conversation with him. Maybe it wasn’t a terrible idea to walk instead of having Drive Kim take you to dinner after all.  _ And besides,  _ the rebel side added,  _ if Driver Kim takes us to dinner, it’ll be highly likely that Jumin will take over and take us to some fancy French restaurant with their caviars and escargots. _

You went back to the topic at hand, since his friendship with V was something he rarely spoke about at length. “Was this one of V’s galleries or something else?”

“Both. We used to go together when we were younger. V usually made a point to go when I was back home visiting from the university. He sometimes took Rika along with him.” He looked contemplative before speaking again. “V...He was an expert in art and visuals. Going with him was like...” You could tell Jumin was at a loss for words. “His excitement was so genuine and sincere... He has a one-of-a-kind eye for art.”

“And Rika?” you asked.

“Rika...She was an emotional person. V had given her a handkerchief early in their relationship due to how certain works of art would move her to tears. That was actually how they met.”

“That’s cute. It makes sense she got with V, in that case. And what about you?” 

Jumin let out a small smile. You looked around the street, making note of where you were and how close your destination was.

“I'm never studied the arts, and when I did, it was just a piece of information I’d use for business deals. I don’t understand it, but I have an appreciation for seeing people's responses to artwork. Right now, I can't help but think to myself what kind of reaction you'll have if I take you to an exhibition.”

_ Oh my god, is this a date he's asking me on? _

“I think that sounds like fun. I never had time to go except for the occasional school trip. And those are never fun.”

“It would be quite different, considering you'd be going with me.”

You were getting close to your destination as you reached a comfortable silence with him. You imagined your shadows walking behind you blending in the night. This was possibly the only interaction you'd ever be allowed to have with him. Even with talks of visiting galleries and other small spoken gestures, this was all it would ever amount to.

_ None of this is fair. _

_ But when is life fair? _

You shook off your thoughts, wondering if Jumin had ever taken Sarah to a gallery date like that. Probably not.

You reached your stop, glad you had a good sense of direction. You hated depending on your phone for mapping purposes because it made your battery drain faster than it usually did, and it currently wasn't sitting at a good percentage.

“This is it. We’re here,” you said, watching a small family enter the restaurant.

“WcDonalds. That sounds familiar,” he said. You couldn't believe he actually said that about one of the most world famous restaurant chains.

“It's super good, I promise. They have these really cheap menus, but I think you should start with the basics and make your way to the cooler things, like those shrimp burgers that are exclusive to Korea.” 

He pushed the door open, allowing you to enter first like the gentleman he was. 

“Thank you,” you said, walking in. “Oh, and don't worry about handling the orders. I'll take care of it. Just uh...wait around here,” you said, pointing to the soda fountain. You didn't want Jumin to insist on paying. He was having an awful day and you didn’t want him to think about unnecessary things. No one ever treated him anyway, which tugged at your heartstrings. It was probably a stupid idea, but you didn’t care. 

You focused your gaze on a small family waiting right in front of you, which consisted of a couple with a small child, who seemed about four to six years old. They reminded you of your trips to WcDonalds with your father from when you were that age. He would order four Joyful Meals and he'd have three of them, which left you with four toys to play with.  _ The times were so much simpler then. Then again, everything’s easy when you’re little. _

“Hello,” the girl at the register said. You came back to earth, the memories having disappeared. “How can I help you?”

You ordered two Big Whack meals, hoping Jumin would like them, and were given a receipt and two empty cups.

When you turned around, you saw Jumin was mesmerized by the family’s use of the soda fountains. 

“What is that?” he asked.

“Soda fountains. You put your cup against the handle and you push.” The family left, allowing you to fill your cup.  “Here, take this,” you said, looking at Jumin, who was eying the options. He placed his cup against one that contained tea and he pushed it forward.

“Curious,” he said, fascinated by it as his cup began to fill.

“It's recommended you put ice in first, but…”

“How do I make it stop?” he asked right before it filled up. You set aside the need to go into a laughing fit and took his hand away from the cup, not caring you'd make contact with him.

Either way, his cup overflowed, causing both his hand and yours to get soaked with tea. Well, technically not his hand, but his glove.

“Oh,” he said.

“Maybe I should have demonstrated, whoops.” You took your dry hand and grabbed a bunch of napkins, giving him half of it. 

“I hope you didn't have some kind of attachment to that glove,” you said while he dabbed the napkin on it. You threw the napkin away and got the cup holder and straws.

“No, but perhaps it will dry when I…”

You heard your order being called and you held your finger up, going up to the counter and picking up your tray. Jumin had picked up a couple of utensils for whatever reason. 

“So that was the soda fountain. Do you want to see the cool way to get ketchup?”

He looked utterly confused, which you now decided was adorable. You were going to make a point out of trying out these everyday devices.  _ You poor, beautiful sheltered soul. _

“Why do we need ketchup?”

You shook the tray in your hands. “French fries, duh...You've had these before, right?”

“It's some kind of fried potato?” he said, though you could hear the doubt in his voice while you put the tray down and picked up two small paper cups. You set them down and picked up a random fry. 

“It's this.”

His eyes widened. “I've been to plenty of French restaurants and none of them have served this before.”

You rolled your eyes. “Watch this.” With one hand, you placed a small cup right before a spout and with the other, you pushed a handle down, making the ketchup come out, filling the cup. “Isn't this cool?”

“I was not aware people had invented devices like that. I thought condiments came in only in packets and in bottles.”

“Not always. You want to try?” you asked, holding a tiny paper cup in his direction. 

He took it and followed your lead. He still wore his gloves despite one of them still looking damp, which was a good thing. You didn't want to look at the ring he had on his finger.

“Oh my god, you did it!” Jumin had filled the cup most excellently, unlike with the soda fountain. If you were being honest here, you thought he was going to mess up as well. 

He had a self-satisfied smirk on his face. “This has been a most interesting endeavor so far,” he said as you began to look for a table. “Is this what commoner life is?” You found a table at the corner away from the windows and set your tray aside before sitting down.

“Not just commoners, but anyone. I just can't believe you never heard of WcDonalds.”

“I never said I didn’t know what WcDonald’s is. It just sounds familiar. Perhaps I did business with them once or twice.” He grabbed one of the boxes containing a Big Whack and opened it.

“I remember the CEO’s daughter once had a really popular song about how her WcShakes brought all the boys to her yard. They tried to make it the slogan but it was...It wasn’t the most uh, conventional of marketing attempts. Maybe you know it through that?” It was an extremely controversial campaign with lots of grinding, writhing on a milkshake puddle, and sexual innuendos. It was something that would make poor, conservative Jumin go aghast.

“WcShakes? How will…this ‘WcShake’ bring boys to a yard? I don’t see any yards around here.” Poor Jumin was lost enough as it was.

_ Oh no! Do I want to explain this at a family restaurant to Jumin Han?  _ the rational side asked. How did you even have the courage to bring this up in the first place?

You felt your nerves coming back and you looked away, grabbing a fry and chewing on it before replying.

“Um...It’s a metaphor,” you said. You looked at him. He sat, his back rigid and his posture perfect as he stabbed the burger with a plastic fork and used the plastic knife to cut it. “What are you doing?” you asked while he cut. 

“This is a terrible knife. Who authorized this?” he said mostly to himself. He looked at you. “I’m trying to cut my burger, what else does it look like?” His tone made you want to burst out laughing. He was so bougie.

“Uh, have you ever had a burger before?”

“Of course I’ve had a burger. Once a month, my nutritionist declares a calorie bomb day and I’m brought one to my room. They’re much more spectacular looking than…” he cut himself off by wrangling with the burger.

“It’s gonna take you an hour to eat that thing if you keep insisting on using utensils,” you said, lifting your own burger and taking a bite. It tasted great. Totally worth spending your money. You chewed while watching Jumin struggle with his fork and knife.  _ More time with me, _ you thought with self-satisfaction.

After your second bite, Jumin finally got a piece of the burger on his fork and brought it to his mouth. 

You watched him intently, wanting to see his reaction. But he gave you none. 

“So…” you asked once he swallowed.

“This is terrible,” he said right when he stabbed the burger and began cutting it again. You couldn’t help it this time. You were barely able to contain your snorts. 

This was definitely the best idea ever. Jumin was entertaining to watch. 

_ The classiest man in the world eating the most uncouth thing in the most gracious way. This is a once-in-a-lifetime-thing. _

You were more than halfway through your burger when he spoke up. 

“I have a question.” You nodded. “It’s unusual for you to have a receipt so early. Don’t restaurants usually bill you  _ after  _ the meal?”

He got you there. “Uhh, it’s different here. They demand the uh...money...upfront…” you finished weakly.

His face changed, going into shock. “Are you saying  _ you  _ paid?”

“Uh…I did.”

Jumin began to get up from his seat, taking the receipt from the tray.

“Hey, wait! No!” you grabbed his hand, thankful it was the hand that contained the glove that wasn’t damp. “Jumin there's nothing you can do. They don’t change the bill or refund!”

“What? Why didn’t you consult me?” His eyes had returned to their shark-like ways, causing you to shorten your breath. You felt cold sweat forming around the nape of your neck.

“Because…” you said, scrambling. You had to be honest. “I wanted to treat you. I get the impression that no one ever does that to you and I wanted to make your day better.”

A couple of seconds passed and a fear developed in the pit of your stomach that he wouldn't accept your answer.

He sat back down after a moment of deliberation, his expression going from angry to soft. You took your hand away from his. “It was an incredibly foolish and illogical idea on your part,” Jumin finally said after a moment of silence. “And you've already made my day better just by agreeing to meet me.”

You felt your face growing hot.

“I have billions, more than you can ever imagine and you…”

“I got fired from my job and I’m broke. So? Just enjoy the meal. I’m sure you’ll return the favor some other time. And it wasn’t like it was crazy expensive.”

“It tastes cheap.” Jumin stabbed his fork through several fries and ate them, not bothering to use ketchup. “But these...fries, you called them? They’re not bad.”

“Oh my god you’re hilarious,” you said, unable to keep your laughter in. 

“I still don’t like you paying for this, but we can talk about finances after dinner. But know this: I’m going to pay you back next time we do this and when I do, I'll ensure it will beyond anything you've ever seen,” he said after you calmed down from your laughing fit. “But thank you. I suppose no one’s ever thought about my concerns on spending when it comes to me. Except for...”

“Your father?” you said, finishing his sentence. Jumin looked upset.

“Yes. Let’s not speak of him right now.” You’d seen him go through so many emotions during the hour you were with him that it was hard to believe that he was this cold businessman with no emotional depth or capacity. Or maybe it was different because he was with you.

“Okay,” you said. “Let’s talk about something else. Do you have anything in mind?” It was clear to you that he was likely going to take a longer time eating than you would thanks to his insistence of using that plastic fork and knife.

“Tell me about the guests, then. I’m interested in knowing how you’ve managed with them.”

“Of course,” you said, unable to hide your smile from him. He returned it, causing you feel weak in the knees. You began, talking about Rui, V’s friend, but the entire time you spoke, you would catch him reacting and giving you small cues that would make your heart race, causing you to fall apart again and again. 

You had no idea how you were going to make it through the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really wanna thank the Migos—not for being in the fic, but for making ‘Bad and Boujee’, like, that’s the best song ever.
> 
> Setting all jokes aside (most of which I envisioned from the start), writing in Seven's POV is difficult af and I made a lot of changes to this chapter which is why it took so long to upload. I still plan on editing the first 2k words of this chapter some more due to my perfectionist tendencies.


	30. Chapter 29 Day 7, 7:23 PM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our heroine has yet another heart-to-heart. Elsewhere, plans are made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been a while but Persona 5 and life happened (you never see it coming). I'm honestly not sure when I'll update again, but life keeps getting in the way since I'm moving again pretty soon which has me running more errands and applying to jobs. BUT! Rest assured, I've already written the entirety of Day 8 and I'm halfway through Day 9. But it's the editing that still needs to get done as it's all in alpha mode. But....V ROUTE! That might motivate me to upload some more...if I'm not distracted by life :(

 

It took Jumin over thirty minutes to finish his burger. You assumed it must have been cold because you were long finished with yours.

The customers kept flocking in and out, but they sat away from the two of you. It was probably because Jumin looked so intimidating, but it didn’t matter because you were enjoying the time you had with him. Even though you were feeling less and less nervous around him as time passed, every now and then he would react in such a way to your conversations that you had to catch yourself.

“There is something nagging at me from earlier today,” you said, not long after he took his last bite of the burger. The issue with the Monogamy Club had still bothered you. Jumin was so receptive to everything you said to the point that you now felt comfortable telling him about some of your insecurities. At least the RFA-centered ones, anyway. 

“What is it?”

“I messed up on one of the email exchanges earling. You know that Monogamy Club Yoosung suggested? Well... I think I must said the wrong thing.”

“May I see what you wrote?” he asked. “Perhaps I can see what went wrong.”

“Uh, sure. My phone’s battery isn’t the best, though.” It was already at thirty percent and dropping quickly. The phone was only about two years old, and yet the battery drained at an alarmingly fast rate. The RFA app was a battery killer, too. You logged in, making sure to tread carefully because you didn’t want to get roped into a chat, but no one was online.

Seven, Jaehee and Yoosung were AWOL, but you saw Zen had had a conversation with himself, which made you feel bad about not being able to chat with him. You promised yourself you’d find the time to read it later. You didn’t want to think about Zen right now, who would probably blow a fuse if he found out what you had been doing throughout today.

The guests section had Monogamy listed eighth, with a couple of new messages right above it. But right now responding to them wasn’t your highest priority. You clicked on the email where Monogamy was listed and gave your phone to Jumin to read. 

He spoke up after a minute or two and handed back your phone, which you placed in your lap. “I don’t completely understand why they would reject you. You gave them a well-thought and educated answer, yet their reply is tepid.”

_ See? Even Jumin gets it! Why would they not like having an honest conversation?!  _

You set your thoughts aside and focused on Jumin. “Honestly, I’m still confused about whether or not they’re attending the party. Should you or Jaehee arrange accommodations…?” 

“I would say so. They never mentioned not going, so it wouldn’t hurt to prepare.”

“Has this happened to Rika? I feel like by disappointing one of my guests, I’m not...I don’t know...living up to standards.” You were so preoccupied with Jumin that this issue wasn’t as nagging, though  it was still at the back of your brain. You knew Jumin was close to Rika, but he wouldn’t be like Yoosung, who held her in such a near-godlike regard.

Jumin made full eye contact with you, and for once you didn’t flinch or look away. “There is no other person I have ever known with standards as high as the ones Rika had for herself. She did indeed go through rejections. V would ask me to give her lessons in persuasion whenever Rika was persistent towards a reluctant guest.” His tone was wistful. “Rika always wanted to assert herself. She wanted to be the perfect role model for Yoosung especially. Rika had always said if she could inspire Yoosung, then she could start inspiring others and the world would change for the better.”

“That’s a powerful thing to believe in,” you said. “I’m not sure if I’d feel that way. I think change comes from within.”

“You and Rika differ vastly in those regards, as well as in appearance.”

“Oh,” you said, going red. It was sort of a random thing he said on his part, but you pretended to go along with it.

“I do not mean that in any way other than the facts present. It would be like saying that Zen and myself differ in personality and appearance. That being said, the two of you are pleasant to be around. It is a shame you never got to meet her.”

“No, that makes sense. I just…” You felt silly and gave an awkward laugh. “I’ve seen pictures of her. We do look very different.” You wanted to change the conversation. “I was just wondering if Rika’s method of persuasion worked?”

Maybe it was your imagination, but Jumin leaned in your direction ever so slightly. He shook his head. “No, they didn’t work. I’m more in line with your school of thought. Change comes from within. Rika cannot— _ could not _ —base her meetings and emails around my methods.”

“No, that wouldn’t work.”

“That brings us back to the bigger issue. In business, we create our standards, but it’s important we look at them through a logical and realistic mindset. Your ambition impressed me last night, but realistically, I would not want you to set yourself up for disappointment. Not every single interaction you will have will be a success.”

“You’re right,” you said. “I still intend to make this party amazing, though.”

“And your conviction is only the first step in getting things going. That being said, despite both you and Rika having set high standards, I can say—and the rest of the RFA will say something to a similar degree—each of our parties were of a different, distinct quality. All of them were successful in their own, unique way. If you keep that mentality in mind, it may be easier to maintain that attitude.”

You nodded. “I suppose I’ll see that in time.”

“You will,” he said. It was a statement. “Once this party is over, we’ll be able to discuss the long-term and becoming a year-round coordinator and what that would bring, including your own pay, arrangements, et cetera.”

The prospect of the long-term excited you. “I look forward to it.”

Jumin changed his posture to one that was more casual. “I should point out that during our conversation, it may have occurred to me the reason why your most recent reply to the Men of Monogamy failed to entice them.” 

You took in a deep breath.  _ Is it because they can sense that I’m practically an adulterer? _

“Your previous responses were all centered around material goods. I do not personally believe staying in a relationship would be based solely on gifts, but perhaps it would have ushered in a positive response.” You could see both his perspective and the Monogamy Club’s as well, now that he said it. Your mind began to stray towards the topic of material goods and you remembered that Sarah did give Jumin a tie once.  _ Why are you thinking about Sarah when her husband is sitting right across from you? _

He was right. You’d suggested the personalized cross-stitch when you responded to their first email and then the handcuffs as a metaphor during the second exchange.

“Might it have been myself, I would have offered jasmines. According to the language of flowers, they are meant to evoke positive feelings.”

“Oh,” you said. The rational side suddenly spoke up.  _ That’s an odd fact to know, especially coming from Jumin.  _ “Wait. How do you know that?”

“I own several books on the topic of gardening. Actually, I purchased the building I live in last year because my garden is located a short  distance away.”

“That’s unexpected. I didn’t think you’d like flowers.”

“I find them similar to my thought process. Flowers live in the moment. Then they wither away and go back to the ground before beginning again, their beauty and grace returning to form…Though of course, I'm keeping the basics for the sake of the metaphor, excluding pollination and seed dispersal.” Jumin went on and you nodded, feeling a sense of excitement. It was an optimistic thought and there was an undercurrent of hope in his words.

_ Beauty and grace returning to form... _

Perhaps there was a way to overcome this whole situation with him, with your feelings and—

Your phone vibrated in your lap and with your index finger, you hit one of the side buttons, silencing the vibration. You glanced over to the screen, wondering who in the world it could be. 

It was Jaehee of all people. 

You were quick to come up with an excuse, even though you didn't want to be away from him for too long. “I’m starting to get thirsty. I can get us refills if you want? Do you want more tea?”

“I’m curious to try a diet coke,” he said right as you took the cups and rushed out.

When you were a sufficient distance away, you held both empty cups together to your chest and took the call. There was no way he’d be able to see you on the phone from his vantage point. Not unless he got  up from his seat himself, and you got the feeling he wouldn’t do that.

“Hello?”

“This is Jaehee Kang speaking.”

“Hey Jaehee!” you said. 

There was a crying baby and a couple of kids making noises a few yards away, causing you to wince. There was no way she wouldn’t be able to hear that, right?  _ Why couldn’t they be as quiet as that child from when we first got here? _

“I hear noise coming from your end of the line. Are you out somewhere? Did Luciel say you could leave the apartment?” Of course Jaehee would be quick to catch on. 

“Uhhh... I’m not in the apartment,” you said while setting the cups down on the metal counter in front of the soda fountain. 

“I see. I was calling to ask if you had heard anything from Mr. Han from within the past few hours. Considering that you’re the closest to him out of all of us in the RFA, I thought you might have an idea.”  _ Oh you could say I’ve heard plenty from Mr. Han…  _ As you tried to gather your thoughts, Jaehee kept speaking. “He hasn’t been present in the messenger, which is quite an odd of him. I haven’t heard from Yoosung and Luciel either, now that I think about it. Does Luciel know you’re out?”

“To be honest, I’m not sure.” Didn’t Yoosung say that he was coming over to Seven’s place? What if he came and you left right when Seven was distracted? It would also explain why they were both absent from the chat.

You could practically hear Jaehee adding things up in her brain while you filled the first cup with ice. The noise was booming like any old icemaker.  _ Perhaps it’s a good idea to mute your phone,  _ the rational side said. 

_ I think it’s too late for that.  _

“You’re with Mr. Han,” she said. It wasn’t a question.

Your insides froze. “Um…yes?” The answer came without a proper thought.

Jaehee breathed in a sigh of relief. “Oh thank God. I was worried as to where he could be. Knowing he’s with you has lifted a cloud hanging over my head.”

Jaehee’s cloud may have gone away, but to you, there was a thunderclap of confusion. Why wasn’t she hounding you like Zen or your mom or one-half of your brain? And why did she care so much that Jumin was now being accounted for?

“Jaehee, are you alright?”

“No, but that’s the best news I’ve heard all day.”

“Wait, are you saying you  _ don’t  _ mind me becoming friends with Jumin?” You began to fill the other cup with ice and a matching diet coke.

“Not at all,” she said. “I wouldn’t necessarily call it a friendship, but you have an effect on him. Just seeing you two talk...I could sense the connection. His productivity would go back up to an unheard of level after speaking to you all those times.”

“But Zen…” Other people started to crowd around the soda fountain, so you took the two cups and moved them to the top of a nearby trashbin where there were empty trays on top.

“Zen has a difference of opinion. For these past few months I was worried to see Mr. Han so different from his usual self. You joining the RFA and establishing a connection with him has made me think that perhaps what Mr. Han needed was a person and not a cat.”

“Elizabeth is a cutie pie, though.”

“Perhaps this could relieve me from my Elizabeth watching duties,” Jaehee said more to herself, “Imagine my apartment no longer being covered in C-hair!” Jaehee’s tone sounded not unlike whenever she spoke of Zen’s roles.

“Uh, Jaehee?”

“Ah, I’m getting ahead of myself. I have assisted him for so long, but I think you understand him much more than I do. Please keep doing what it is you’re doing. It makes my job so much easier.”

“It’s no problem!” you said, feeling a sense of relief that someone was seeing this through non-judgemental eyes. 

“I’ve never been sure of how to comfort Mr. Han. I understand him very well when he strives for perfection, but I can’t in other times when his issues are personal. But you can.”

“He’s a good person who doesn’t deserve any of this.”

“I agree for the most part,” she said. “Did he inform you about what made him upset?”

“No,” you said.

“I’ll leave it for him to tell you. It isn’t my place. I think you’ve given Mr. Han a sense of hope during a moment when he couldn’t find any. At first I thought him fighting his father was, a terrible idea, but now I’m seeing it differently.”

“What you saying?” you asked, feeling a spark ignite in pit of your stomach. 

“We’ve been idle for too long. I think we need to find a way to end Mr. Chairman’s arrangements before things worsen.”

There was no way you’d argue with that. “Jaehee, you’ve got so much work on your shoulders already. Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Keep staying by Mr. Han’s side. Believe me, if I can find something,  _ anything _ that could compromise Sarah Han and/or Glam Choi, then all of this work will cease to be. At the moment, I would do anything to bring back those infernal cat projects if it meant things could get better for C&R.”  _ Damn, she’s willing to work on a cat project again for this. _

It didn’t even take you a second thought to speak. “Okay, I’m in. Let me know if anything can be done.”

“I have one more question before I let you go back to him. Just  _ where  _ are you two? There’s a lot of noise. Is it somewhere public?”

“Uh...we decided to go on a taste test and I decided maybe starting somewhere basic was a good idea...So...I took him...I took him to WcDonald’s.”

Jaehee was silent for a couple seconds. “Pardon?” It was clear she was holding back her laughter.

“He doesn’t like the Big Whacks too much, but he’s partial to the fries.”

“Mr. Han at WcDonald’s...I’ve heard of everything. I’ll trust your judgment in taking him there but I have more work to take care of, including our plan. Please take watch over him.”

“I will.”

You hung up, placing the phone in your purse and taking the two cups back your table. You sat down, setting the cups aside, but you had forgotten which cup belonged to who. Jumin took the one you placed nearest to him and began drinking. 

“This is a good business model,” he said, evidently unaware that you were gone for a while. 

“What is? You tried to control the excitement in your voice” You were seeing him with a sort of renewed sense now. Perhaps if a best-case scenario happened, then maybe you had a chance with him. Maybe he wouldn’t be so unattainable. . It was likely if you showed too much enthusiasm, he would take notice.

“Refills.”

“Oh.” You took a sip of your drink and swallowed. 

The conversation had run dry between you two, at least for now. Jumin looked away from you, his mind clearly in  contemplation. Maybe it was time for him to tell you what was going on. You braced yourself. Whatever it was, it was bad enough to send Jaehee into action.

“It’s getting late,” he said. “While you were gone, I called Driver Kim to pick us up from this location.”

You nodded. He was a conservative man at the end of the day. There was no way he’d want to be seen with you this late, especially considering you were unmarried and he…

“I can’t go,” you said. “V said that no one is allowed to go to the apartment.”

“I respect V’s rules, even if I don’t personally agree with them. Driver Kim can drop you off a couple of blocks away from Rika’s apartment. I don’t feel comfortable having you take a subway alone, especially at night.”

You had used the subway before at much later hours for your previous jobs, but you knew that it would only serve to fuel Jumin’s words. He looked at you with a shot of desperation. He wanted to spend more time with you.

Who knew when you’d see him again?

“In that case, thank you.” You changed the subject as the two of you began to set off. “I was just wondering if you wanted something else, a dessert maybe. WcDonald’s is known for plenty of things, but I have a soft spot for their WcSwirlies.” He gave you a confused face. “It’s kind of like an ice cream, but it isn’t like their WcShakes.”

Jumin nodded. “I’ll have it if you allow me to pay this time.”

“You’re going to insist on it, aren’t you?”

“You should never have to pay for anything while I’m here, despite your good intentions.”

You took a deep breath. “Sure.” He took the tray while the two of you got up and threw it in the trash. You saw a sign located behind the worker’s counters saying  **Attention customers:** **_Unfortunately our ice cream machine is not working. Please order WcShakes and WcSwirlies at another time or in another one of our locations. Sorry for the inconvenience._ **

“God damn it,” you said. “Why does this always happen whenever I really want one? We’ll have to try this again some other time.”

“It doesn’t matter. I can take us somewhere else another day,” he said while you walked out of the restaurant. His words were deliberate. Next time,  _ he  _ would be the one choosing. It was likely odd for him to give some control to you.

The limo was spacious inside, the leather seats cold against your hands and leggings.

Jumin sat across from you, his demeanor changing. He was somewhere familiar, back in his element.

Jumin pressed a button, causing the window separating the two of you from Driver Kim lowered. “Driver Kim, this is a friend of mine.”

“Hi!” you said, waving. 

Driver Kim seemed to hold no objections to your presence as you gave him directions to a restaurant four blocks away from Rika’s place. You were thankful that during your starvation period a few days back, you looked up all of the nearby places to eat.

“It’ll take about ten to fifteen minutes, depending on traffic. I’ll let you know when we’ve reached our destination,” he said right before rolling up the window.

“Do you want anything?” Jumin said seconds after. He crossed his legs. “I have water and a bottle of wine in my cooler over there.” He pointed to an area on the far side of the limo close to where the trunk would be. There was a sealed cabinet with glasses right next to the cooler.

You shook your head. “I’m good for now, thank you.”

He took a deep breath. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to do and I’m glad I got the opportunity to see you.”  _ Yup, his offer of wine was calculated,   _ the rational side said.

“What is it?” You half expected him to uncross his legs and glide to your side, but instead he fished around the pocket of his pants and pulled out something small you couldn’t see. 

“I want you to have this.” He gave you something that looked like a card. Was it his business card?  _ But his business card is white.  _ You took it and upon quick inspection, you saw it wasn’t a business card at all. It was an all black card with gold lettering.  **Gift Card** was transcribed right below a set of numbers. 

“No, I can’t accept this, Jumin. This is too much,” you said, sticking out the gift card.

“I’ve already authorized it for your use a few days ago.”

You shook your head. “I can’t.”  _ Is he insane?  _

“I implore you to think again. I dislike seeing Luciel going off about his ‘God Seven’ biblical nonsense, and you’ve been dragged through Luciel’s antics enough as it is while your well-being has been compromised.”

“It’s wrong if I do,” you said for the third time.

“You’re incredibly strong-willed,” he said. “I knew that already, but it’s worth mentioning.”

“It’s not right. Also this can’t be legal.”

“It’s a gift card. Company funds wouldn’t be spent if that’s what you’re wondering. Before I started working for the company, Father would give me these on my birthday or on Christmas. Hold onto it and I’ll give you the next ten minutes to consider this decision.”

His words took you aback. They were business-like and sharp. Jaehee was right. He crossed his arms, his gaze penetrating.  _ This is what he does. Oh my gosh, you’re witnessing this in action. We need to tread well,  _ the rational side said. 

_ Maybe a steamy make-out session would have been better than this. _

You’d had your share of payment cards (especially store exclusive cards) before, and the texture of this one was unlike the others. It felt unbreakable in your hands. It was like the diamond equivalent of a gift card.

“This still feels like too much, Jumin.”

“It’s barely been two minutes. Think about it some more,” he said. He was smirking. There was a sense of enjoyment he was getting from this. And here you were thinking Seven was the sadistic one. 

_ Okay, think. _

_ The only way to get through this is to meet him halfway. He’s not going to take no for an answer. Not when he believes my well-being is at stake, _ the rational side said.

_ He’s jealous of Seven for having bought me all those meals the past three days; anyone can see that _ , the rebel side said.

_ At least we’re smart enough to not have accepted this upon seeing it. That would have been the Sarah thing to do, probably. We need to negotiate with him. It’s the only reasonable thing to do. _

“When did you authorize this?”

“Two nights ago,” he said without blinking. That was likely after Seven had exposed you. 

“I see...I’m starting to know you pretty well and you’re not going to take no for an answer, but I need to lay out my terms before I can accept this because, well, like I said earlier, it’s too much and I’m nothing special.”

“I’m listening.” He knew he would win, but you weren’t exactly dumb either. “However, I find myself disagreeing. You're very special, at least in my eyes.”

His words nearly disarmed you and you swallowed dry air. Perhaps taking that offer of wine would have been a good idea. “I take this, but I’m giving this back to you the  _ second _ I see you again at the party.”

“If that’s what you want, then I’ll agree.”

“I’m not done yet,” you said. His reaction to your interjection was as if he were pleased by your assertiveness. “Second, I’m not spending this on lavish stuff. This is for economy purposes only. Food, water, household and other everyday things,” you said, knowing you were down to your last roll of toilet paper.

“Anything that will further our goals for the RFA. I will make a suggestion on one thing you can buy.”

“What?”

“If I knew your address, I’d send you one, but I’m afraid I cannot. But please buy a dress for the RFA party. Agree to that and we’ll have a deal.”

“Fine,” you said.

He took a hand out of his glove, thankfully, the one without his wedding ring, and extended his hand. You repeated his action and shook on it.

His hand was warm and soft, as if well-moisturized. His handshake was firm and you tried to return his firmness. Your mind wanted to explore other methods of contact, but you shut them all out, enjoying this innocent gesture.

You tucked the gift card into your purse, nestling it between your compact mirror and your lipgloss.

“I should be going to a supermarket soon. I’m starting to run out of some basic stuff.”

“Would you like Driver Kim to stop to a nearby supermarket?” he offered.

“Uh…I don’t want to make Driver Kim drive any more than necessary.”

Jumin laughed, the noise pleasant. He was still riding off the likely satisfaction of giving you that gift card. “But that is precisely his job. It’s your choice.”  

“Sure,” you said. Jumin nodded and tapped on the window, informing him on the change of plans. 

The ride wasn’t for that long and while you made small talk with Jumin, all you could think about was accepting that gift card. It reminded you of your phone call with Zen. 

_ No, don’t think of Zen. Not when you’re with Jumin. _

But the thoughts manifested. Zen’s words rung in your head,  _ “I don’t want to see you getting involved in that kind of ordeal. You’re not meant to be a mistress.” _

But this was kind of thing that mistresses did. They kept gift cards and presents on the down low.  You had done nothing with Jumin other than share words and companionship...and smiles and small touches and intimate words and emotions. This wasn’t the typical sort of mistress behavior, right? That tended to be a lot more...physical. 

But there was no justification to the topic of being a mistress. He gave you that gift card to ensure you were living well while being stuck in this predicament. If the circumstances hadn’t been so extraneous, he wouldn’t have done this.  _ Yeah, you don’t see him doing this to Yoosung, who’s also broke. _

The limo stopped.

“Thank you so much for the ride, Jumin.”

He crossed his arms, a habit you noticed he did often. “I was wondering…”

“Yeah?”

“Would you like for me to accompany you to the supermarket?” His tone was even, but his gray eyes squared in on yours. He wasn’t ready to give you up. He was ready to latch onto you, which you had to admit made you feel wanted. But you knew this had to end sometime. There was no way he could even harbor you in his penthouse, not with Sarah on the prowl. She would probably throw you out the window or off a balcony first chance she got, not to mention the tabloids would find out.

You shook the thoughts out of your head, hating how wild your imagination was prone to getting, focusing back on Jumin, whose beautiful face was waiting for your response. You couldn’t say no to that face.

“I’d love to.”  

* * *

Elsewhere, Sarah Han stood in the letterbox of an opera house. The show had ended, but there were plenty of people that her father-in-law and Glam had wanted to socialize with. Both the Chairman and Glam chose this venue knowing that there were future clients in the making, including the actor who played Paris, who was all too willing to flirt with Glam and make eyes at Sarah.

He was attractive, and probably the former member of a K-Pop group who had outgrown his contract, since he had the general look and demeanor of one. Yet knowing someone as attractive as him was flirting with Sarah most certainly made her feel validated, something she didn’t realize she was in desperate need of until now.

The idea of excusing herself, giving  him a  _ come hither  _ look for him to follow her into some kind of private space and wrap her body around his was all-too enticing. It made her forget all about her husband storming out of the opera as if he were some kind of petulant child.

But while Sarah imagined this situation with Fantasy Paris, Real Life Paris had walked out, leaving Glam and Sarah by themselves for the first time since that fiasco of Jumin walking out.

“Such a beautiful specimen,” Glam said, her eyes gazing at him from head to toe. 

“Glam, you’re engaged.”

“Yes, but I’m also the one who has to sleep with such an old geezer. Do you want me to tell you the finer details of our encounters? Or rather—”

“No!” Sarah said, interrupting Glam before she would get too lewd. And Glam was known to occasionally let out a couple of bawdy tales to Sarah and Sarah alone. Tales she didn’t want to exactly hear. Tales that would scar Sarah for life.

“Let’s not beat around the bush, then, Sarah. We need to talk about what just happened.”

“Not ‘just’. It was a few hours ago,” Sarah said

“Don’t you think it’s strange that for the second time in three days, your husband has walked out of one of our get-togethers? He wasn’t always like this.”

Sarah looked at the glass of wine in her hand, reflecting her face. “No,” she said, slowly thinking it out. “He’s been on the phone a lot more too. And disappearing throughout our events.” Just now, Sarah could recall their disastrous dinner the other night. Jumin had left for twenty minutes and even though no one seemed to notice or care, she did.

“I think he’s got a side girl.”

It took Sarah a second to restrain herself. “A side girl? Jumin Han? Never have I even seen that man give an honest glance at a woman. If anything, it would surprise me less if that stupid  _ Does Jumin Han is Gay  _ article were to be true.” Yet Jumin had shown no interest in men either. What was the term? Sexless? Androgynous? Sarah waved the thoughts off. 

“And yet his behavior has changed, it’s clear as day,” Glam said.

“So, what are we going to do about it? I don’t care if he has a side ho,” she said, instantly remembering what the term she had forgotten about earlier was called.  _ Asexual _ , Sarah thought. But asexual people wouldn’t have side hoes, would they? They wouldn’t experience attraction in the first place and yet Glam was implying the opposite. 

Maybe in that case she would feel less guilty about the thoughts she just had over pushing Paris back into a bathroom stall and…

“But you should care. Jumin Han is a man of principle. He’s clean. No scandals, nothing. If we weigh this on his conscious, he will stop this behavior all at once and be yours,” she said. “And then you will be free to pursue your happily ever after, just like we used to tell each other.”

Glam had that look in her eyes again. She was always the one with the plan, and right now she had taken out her cell phone.

“I’ve got A! News and RMZ on my contacts. We’ll find out if your husband is meeting someone else and if he does…”

“Okay, go and contact them.”

Jumin Han wouldn’t know what would hit him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Raise your hand if you also wished that MM used the term "asexual" from that one chat (I believe it was a chat). I'm uh, on the ace spectrum/umbrella (I don't quite know where I land, tbh) so *hand raising* so I hope I didn't offend others. Sorry for the wait and thank you guys so much for being patient! <3


	31. Chapter 30: Day 7, 8:20 PM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Parting is such sweet sorrow.

Jumin Han was fascinated with the shopping cart. He would insist on pushing it while the two of you walked from aisle to aisle.

But the truth was that you only really needed a select few items since you were shopping for four days worth of groceries. The other truth you had to admit was that nearly all of the food you consumed were microwavables and the occasional fruit.

Other than cleaning supplies and other basic everyday necessities, you barely bought food until you reached the back part of the store where the cold storage was.

“I'm bothered by this,” Jumin said when you started piling up the premade foods.

“What exactly is bothering you?” you said while checking each box, making sure there was enough variety.

“These foods...they can't be fresh.”

You looked away from your cart. “Uh, no, not really. I'm not much of a cook, either.” You didn't want to mention about how being broke for so long had made your diet consist of almost entirely microwaveable foods. It wasn't something Jumin wouldn't understand.

“This is unhealthy. Have you always lived like this?” The look of concern on his poor face was obvious. _Hmm,_ the rational side said, _maybe Jumin is_ starting _to understand._

_The empathy classes are working! Whoo!_ the rebel side said, the “whoo” echoing in your brain.

_Uh...Jumin just asked a question..._

“Uhhh...Kinda, yeah.”

The answer clearly did not satisfy Jumin. He said nothing while you kept throwing boxes in your cart until there was enough of them to last a couple days.

“If it makes you feel better, I’ll get some fruits and veggies.” You were going to use his gift card, after all.

“I’d prefer it if you did. Might I recommend blueberries? They’re rich in antioxidants.”

You stopped in front of the ice cream section. “I like cherries quite a lot. Have you ever had Cherry Marcia flavored ice cream?”

“I’ve never heard of it.”

You opened the door, placing three pints of Cherry Marcia ice cream in your cart. “I’m forcing you to keep one of these, by the way.”

Jumin grabbed one of the pints and read the back label. “These have a lot of calories and fat.”

“Heck yeah it does, Jumin. It’s delicious! The perfect comfort food! One bite and you feel instantly better. Of course, the feeling doesn’t last, but it’s the moment that matters.” You grabbed a box of plastic spoons, forks, and knives on the way to the fruit section, where you gathered the fruits he kept recommending.

You shot him a glance while you did and he had a pleased look on his face.

While paying, you used the auto-checkout, partially in an effort to watch Jumin’s reactions to such technology and in another to have the least amount of human interaction possible.

The sum of what you paid was far, far more than what you usually spent and it was difficult to hide your reaction as you swiped the gift card. _This is for survival,_ you thought. _You’re not a mistress. You’re just a friend._

When you got in the limo, you fished through one of your bags, popping off the lid of one of the Cherry Marcias.

“So how was the supermarket for you?” you asked Jumin while looking for the box of plastic cutleries.

“I’ve never seen so much food stocked all at once. Other than my kitchens, of course. It was an interesting learning experience. I did recognize a lot of the products from companies I’ve interacted with and…” His sentence lingered when you held the pint of ice cream with the spoon dug in for him to grab.

He took it, grabbing the spoon and scooping out a mouthful of ice cream. He closed his eyes.

“So...how is it?” You made sure to place the spoon near a chocolate chunk.

“It’s good,” he said. “I don't particularly like sweets, but the chocolate has the bitterness of dark chocolate which can pair well with the vanilla. I can understand why you'd enjoy this.”

“It’s my favorite ice cream. Keep eating. I want to see what happens when you find a cherry in there.” He kept eating and offered you a bite, which to be honest, you accepted partially because you couldn’t resist Cherry Marcia and also because you enjoyed sharing things with Jumin. _I could share with him forever_ , you thought.

It was a dangerous thought to have. You began to ransack your brain for something else to think about or say.

“Hey, uh, thank you, by the way,” you said after swallowing the ice cream. “I know I was reluctant to take the gift card, but it was really nice of you to uh…” You tried to think of the proper words to say, “think about my living situation.” You knew time was quickly running out. You probably had five minutes tops with him.

Jumin set his ice cream down. “It was of no issue. In all seriousness, I should be the one to thank you. You had no reason to spend a good part of the evening with me, but you did and I’m grateful.”

When you had first seen him, he did look like he was on the edge of a breakdown, but now he looked calm. His gray eyes were unlike the photos you saw in the messenger. There was life in them now. It was as if a spark of lightning had struck him in the best possible way. Maybe Jaehee was right and you did bring out something in him. You prayed she would be able to help find a solution to this situation.

“It was no problem—”

You were interrupted by the limo having made a full stop. Seconds later, Jumin pressed the button that opened the small window from Driver Kim.

“We’ve reached our destination,” Driver Kim said.

The mood inside of the limo had changed. There was a sense of disappointment that the time you had spent together had come to an end.

“It was great to finally meet you, Jumin,” you said.

“Likewise,” he said, making eye contact with you. There was something in his look that indicated he wanted to say something more, but instead he took off a glove and set it aside next to the ice cream pint and extended his hand in your direction for you to take.

It was still warm as when you first shook it during the deal, but you noticed how large they were and how your hand fit in his.

“Be safe on your way home,” he said. “Message me when you arrive.”

“Of course,” you said, nodding your head.

“Thank you.” His voice was but a whisper as he let go of your hand. You felt a cold chill when you turned to your sides and grabbed your grocery bags.

“Bye,” you said when you left the limo. He gave an awkward wave right before he closed the door and you began to walk. A second later, the limo sped off and turned around the corner while you began your journey back to Rika’s apartment, reliving the past three hours while you walked.

When you got home, you immediately placed your now dying phone to charge (it was at three percent, making it a close call!) and put away the groceries. As soon as you finished with that task, you sent Jumin a text telling him you were okay. You looked up from your phone and saw your reflection in Rika’s mirror.

Like Jumin, you looked different. There was something on your face that you too, couldn’t quite place a finger on it.

Your phone buzzed a second later.

 

**Thank goodness you’re safe. I was thinking of what tonight felt like when when I was with you. I had fun.**

 

You felt your body go hot and looked back in the mirror to see your whole face had gone red. You also noticed you were still wearing his jacket, which you quickly took off. But you couldn’t throw it to the side. Instead you hugged it, breathing in its clean scent.

You were going to hug it in your sleep tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh I'm so sorry this took forever! I wanted to upload on Jumin's birthday (and the day after mine hehe) but my real life has been ridiculously busy. I didn't even have time to play V's route until a week ago. Don't say anything because I'm playing this super blind.
> 
> I also had the issue that this chapter had a second part to it but I was extremely unsatisfied with it and decided to cut it altogether, especially since my beta had problems with it too (s/out to Zentherainbowunicorn). But the next chapter will be faster, that I can promise!


	32. Chaper 31 Day 8: 2:04 AM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A game plan is in the works for our heroes as a new day begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update??? Within a week???
> 
> It's more likely than you think.
> 
> Ey yo thanks to zentherainbowunicorn for the beta skills.

Not even sleeping with Jumin’s jacket balled into a makeshift pillow could keep you from tossing and turning. You still felt this rush of adrenaline just thinking about your evening with Jumin. You had fallen asleep for a while, actually, not bothering to take off your makeup, but you had woken up feeling parched and gross.

“Ugh,” you groaned into the jacket. Some of your hair had fallen into your mouth and you spit it out, the dryness of it exacerbating your thirst. You grabbed your phone and walked to the kitchen, where you cleaned a glass and poured water.

You didn’t want to waste one of your two Cherry Marcias, but it was past two in the morning and you didn’t care. While taking a spoonful of ice cream into your mouth, you checked your emails, texts, and the messenger itself. 

Jumin had sent you a text message around ten with links to websites, which you clicked on.  **Some suggestions for you to wear to the party** , he wrote in a foreword.

You were met with a picture of a smiling model wearing a strapless aqua blue ball gown with a diamond studded corset and an overabundance of ruffles where the skirt was. It was such an over-the-top princess gown that it put Cinderella’s to shame. All that was needed was a tiara. The price tag on the bottom of the page confirmed your suspicions on the cost, which was about a couple  _ years’ _ worth of rent. 

Another link he had sent was a long-sleeved baby pink dress with intricate lace patterns and a satin ribbon at the waistline, which you thought made for a pretty solid suggestion...which was ruined by even more ruffles at the skirt than the previous gown.

All of his outfit suggestions were conservative, pastel colored dresses and were so extravagant to the point that they reminded you of the princesses you’d see in movies growing up, yet it made your heart flutter that he imagined seeing you dressed like this. 

_ Uh, not to burst your bubble here, but you’re not his princess. He’s married, _ the rational side said.  _ You may have spent a couple hours with him, but that doesn’t change the facts.  _

It was getting increasingly harder to think of Jumin Han as a married man. 

You texted him back, knowing he was most likely asleep and wouldn’t read it until later in the morning. 

**Wow, these are all really something. I think I’d need a tiara to match.**

You hit send, almost instantly regretting your actions. He would probably respond by sending you actual tiaras to complete the set. Sending messages half asleep at two in the morning was a terrible idea. 

But Jumin did have a point. The party was in four days and you had practically nothing to wear for it. Even with Jumin’s gift card, you’d have to use expedited shipping, especially with the risk of the dress not fitting properly. 

You shook your head at the thought of trying on dresses as you took another bite of the ice cream and logged into the RFA app.

You saw Jaehee had entered the messenger, her name displayed at the top of the chatroom. It was strange to be back in the chat again as it had been at least twelve hours, but not much had happened in the interim. 

 

**You: Good evening Jaehee. Or should I say good morning?**

**Jaehee Kang: Hello. You’re still awake.**

**You: I actually passed out for a couple of hours but you caught me.**

**Jaehee Kang: I’m glad to have been able to reach you.**

 

The last time you had spoken to Jaehee was during your excursion to WcDonald’s, which now felt surreal and worlds away from you. She was the only person so far to be okay with you talking to Jumin, yet she wasn’t the kind of person you could just gush your feelings to. 

 

**You: What’s up?**

**Jaehee Kang: It seems I’ve made some progress on the matter about Sarah we talked about yesterday afternoon.**

 

It was going to be weird to skirt around this in the chat. It was likely Jumin didn’t know of the plans to put a halt to Sarah and Glam's marriage based schemes. It reminded you that you  _ still  _ didn't have an idea of what had transpired over at the opera house.

_ He'll tell me when he's ready. It's probably a miracle that he's managed to sleep. _

You dug your spoon into the pint of ice cream, making sure you fished out a giant cherry.

 

**You: Already? Wow.**

**Jaehee Kang: Yes, I was actually working until now because of that. I’ve heard a couple of interesting stories from sources and I’m compiling a list of evidence that I’m sure is set to grow with enough poking and prodding.**

**You: Interesting. I mean, what did you look into?**

**Jaehee Kang: It took a lot of calling and recollection of my actions from three months ago. Back when Mr. Han’s engagement was “leaked” to the news, I admit I was blindsided by the PR storm that ensued in the weeks after. I just looked into past news articles saying that Sugar Round had some collaborations with well-known companies, but something seemed wrong I started there. It turns out the news may have embellished details of said collaborations.**

**You: Weird.**

**Jaehee Kang: I’m still calling and emailing companies over in Europe to confirm a couple of details but one of them did say something most curious and will call me soon as the person I need to speak to comes back from their break.**

**You: So it sounds like you’re definitely onto something.**

**Jaehee Kang: Yes. I asked others in the food industry as well, and hardly anyone knew about Sugar Round save for a few companies and that was all prior to this year.** **In fact, some of those who could answer my questions were surprised they were still in business.**

**You: I remember reading that Sugar Round was doing well especially after the marriage, but this sounds fishy.**

**Jaehee Kang: Yes, I thought so as well. Of course it was expected that Sarah’s company would flourish in some way after the wedding, and I remember seeing the disclosed financial reports saying the company was doing fine, but that doesn’t match up with what I’m hearing.**

**You: Wow. That doesn't sound right to me.**

**Jaehee Kang: Yes, and if I find a solid discrepancy, even the slightest one from the prenup...**

 

You held your breath. It would mean the prenup was null and void and Jumin could divorce Sarah.

 

**You: Oh my god.**

**Jaehee Kang: But we’re going to have to do better than a slight discrepancy. If we’re going to act, we’re going to act to the fullest extent. Nothing but perfect results.**

**You: Of course ^^ Jaehee, I know Jumin never says this, but I’m gonna say it: you’re awesome!**

**Jaehee Kang: Thank you.**

 

She sent a rare happy emoji with yellow flowers surrounding a chibi Jaehee. 

 

**Jaehee Kang: That’s not all, though. Sarah is prone to wearing luxury items so my current plan is to contact multiple department stores as well and see if they know her.**

**You: Oh! That’s a smart way to go about it!**

**Jaehee Kang: Yes, I was looking into some of the items and I was appalled at the cost.**

 

_ If only you saw the pictures of the dresses Jumin sent to me earlier tonight, _ you thought, thinking of that first aqua colored dress. It brought a blush to your face. 

 

**Jaehee Kang: I am very glad that I’m more interested in Zen’s limited edition DVDs than high fashion.**

**You: Of course!**

**Jaehee Kang: I contacted a brand that Sarah has been known to flaunt.**

**You: Shanel?**

**Jaehee Kang: Yes, that exact brand. Sarah is a frequent buyer of Shanel products. When I asked the salesperson how long Sarah had made purchases for, he told me for years, but there was an embarrassing incident 2-3 years ago where all her cards were declined.**

**You: WTF? I thought the financial reports were okay’d!**

**Jaehee Kang: Apparently, she had about five or six cards and they were all declined, so she got very angry at the salespeople…**

 

You thought of your past working retail. Occasionally you had to walk customers out of the store or talk to their banks to authorize purchases when the transactions were declined. It was always embarrassing to deal with it that kind of thing. The worst part was that the customers always reacted differently. The good ones were the ones who hung their heads low in embarrassment but it was always the explosive ones that were still embedded into your brain. You were absolutely certain that Sarah was the latter. You shook you head trying not to think too hard and immediately ate a spoonful of ice cream.

 

**You: I know what that means. She’s had bad credit then.**

**Jaehee Kang: Yes, we can’t help but assume that she herself had low credit. And if Sarah, the company’s CEO, had bad credit, then the company was not in good shape as well.**

**You: And this is the only store you've contacted so far?**

**Jaehee Kang: Yes. But it's likely that there will be more recollections of similar instances.**

**You: And yet her reports were all fine and dandy right before the contact was drawn up, right?**

**Jaehee Kang: Of course. Otherwise the wedding wouldn’t have happened. But at the moment, we can’t know the details for sure, but considering her extravagant expenses and the company’s non-existent reputation prior to the wedding, it gives an excuse to why the wedding was forced upon Jumin.**

**You: Wow. Jumin has told me before that words are carried away by the wind so we need solid evidence.**

**Jaehee Kang: Precisely. Now what I find interesting is that she never sold the company after the marriage, but that’s an entirely different matter and perhaps Sarah is a lot smarter than I gave her credit for.**

**You: Yeah...I can’t believe you’re onto some big things, too. It just feels like everything is coming along…**

**Jaehee Kang: If we allow this wedding to occur, it may impede C &R’s GDP and I cannot allow greed to tarnish the value of hard work.**

 

Zen logged in the chat, causing you to hold your breath. You couldn’t even remember the last time you had spoken to him. If he found out you totally broke your promise…

 

**ZEN: Ladies, good evening.**

**You: Hey Zen.**

**ZEN: WHAT? SARAH HAS BAD CREDIT?**

**Jaehee Kang: That’s what we’re trying to prove.**

**ZEN: The two of you have been up to something.**

**Jaehee Kang: Yes. Mr. Chairman’s wedding is soon.**

 

Jaehee wasn't even trying to hide her intentions from the chat. It made sense why Jumin seemed to trust her above anyone else. She wasn't insincere or dishonest. He valued people who had these qualities above everything else.

 

**You: You said it was after the party, right?**

**Jaehee Kang: Yes, the day after, to be exact. It’s in five days and we cannot afford to lose time. I admit that I have a packed schedule from here until then, but we have to keep acting.**

**ZEN: I knew there would be something fishy about that woman...but what you found says it all.**

**Jaehee Kang: If we don’t stop this, then Mr. Chairman will be making the worst decision of his life with these marriages.**

**ZEN: Mr. Han is a problem, but that Glam Choi...I’m sure that woman is more trouble.**

**Jaehee Kang: That is true.  If I were to make a guess, I would say she is the brains behind this operation.**

**ZEN: Then we need to expose her as well.**

 

Was Zen saying what you thought he was saying…?

 

**ZEN: I can help with Glam.**

**Jaehee Kang: I’ve been focusing all this time on Sarah that I’ve barely made the time to think about Glam.**

**ZEN: Of course. That dude has been overworking you.**

**Jaehee Kang: ...It’s more complicated than Mr. Han simply overworking me.**

 

What was Jaehee implying? Was it connected to the reason behind Jumin’s mental breakdown?

 

**You: What do you have in mind, Zen?**

**ZEN: I have a hard time believing Sarah and Glam’s relationship is that of a teacher and student.**

**You: I know, I can’t believe that, either.**

**Jaehee Kang: It does sound quite suspicious.**

**ZEN: It’s been bothering me. What kind of teacher would be so aggressive about a student’s marriage?**

**Jaehee Kang: It’s not as if she’s her mother.**

**ZEN: It is over the line no matter how I think of it, but Sarah and Glam’s relationship being more complex than it looks is my guess -_-**

**You: Alright.**

**ZEN: I think we need to examine their relationship and we need to look into how Sarah and Glam Choi became student and teacher. I know a couple of people in the entertainment industry that might know more about Glam, so I’ll handle her while you continue taking care of Sarah, Jaehee.**

 

Jaehee replied by using a happy emoji of herself and you felt that happiness extend your way. Jaehee was making progress investigating Sarah while Zen agreed to look into Glam. This part would go unwritten in the chat, but you would watch over Jumin. 

Not that you minded one bit. 

 

**ZEN: Normally, I wouldn’t like wasting my time for that dude, but he is a fellow RFA member and he never deserved this.**

**You: Thank you, Zen!**

**Jaehee Kang: Yes, thank you, Zen! Oh, right, come to think of it, how is your new role going?**

**ZEN: lolol Finally you ask! I would have been upset if you hadn’t!!!**

**Jaehee Kang: I’m sorry;;; So many things have been happening…**

**ZEN: I’m just joking, haha. But I have been getting less attention these days…**

 

He sent a picture of himself lying sideways in bed, one eye closed and the other barely open. It wasn’t his usual wink and you could see the tiredness in his one open eye. Jaehee used an interested emoji, with sparkles glowing around her as her chibi form took off her glasses. You had to admit Zen’s jawline looked spectacular in it, but he was nowhere near as good looking as Jumin, at least in your opinion. 

Yet you kept your mouth shut, since it wasn’t quite a popular sentiment within the RFA.

 

**Jaehee Kang: I want to save it...I want to use it as my desktop background. But if you’re my background, I’ll have to lower the brightness of my screen.**

**ZEN: Why? The picture is dark already.**

 

He used a confused emoji. You suddenly dreaded Jaehee’s answer. Perhaps it was time to make a getaway. 

 

**Jaehee Kang: Because your face glows enough already. I’ll become blind.**

**ZEN: lololol My looks that even screens can’t handle.**

**Jaehee Kang: I would like to make that photo my family heirloom.**

**You: Oh no, I think I gotta go. I left an excuse in the oven.**

**ZEN: Haha, that’s too much. I think the photo is a bit too sexy to be a family heirloom.**

**Jaehee Kang: No, I think it holds great value as an art piece. The chiaroscuro....If you release this photo on your fan site, everyone might shed tears and stay up all night.**

**You: Oh no...my oven is burning.**

**Jaehee Kang: Your oven won’t burn as bright as Zen’s photo…**

**ZEN: I don’t want beautiful ladies to shed tears.**

**You: Byeeeee…**

**ZEN: Sorry for making you and Jaehee look at it T_T**

**You: Ya Zen, you’re about to cause nuclear destruction.**

**Jaehee Kang: No need to be sorry. I now have a family heirloom.**

**ZEN: I think about this every time something like this happens... T_T I’m always so worried that my existence is harmful to people.**

**You: Oh, I’m certain.**

**Jaehee Kang: People like you have looks that even Gods would kill for. You must always be careful. In that sense...I’d like to tell you something.**

**ZEN: What?**

**Jaehee Kang: You seem to be nervous about people not noticing you, but I think there’s no such need for that anxiety. As the photo above illustrates...Zen, you have a glow that only some of the brightest stars in the universe have. It will be against nature’s law for someone like you to be forgotten.**

**You: I don’t get it. How in the world do you wax poetic, Jaehee, when you're overworked and stressed all the time? Seriously?**

**Jaehee Kang: ^^ People cannot go against nature, you know. ^^**

**You: Shall I compare Zen to a summer’s day? Thou are more sweet and somehow more temperate... Something, something winds of May.**

 

You were feeling annoyed that they ignored you yet again. And for some reason you were STILL logged in. Maybe it was time to troll them.

 

**You: I wonder what Jumin’s existence is like...**

**Jaehee Kang: Mr. Han is a man who must go to work and direct a company. That’s his existence.**

**ZEN: lolololol Jaehee lololol**

 

You should have expected that answer, to be honest. 

 

**ZEN: Truth is, what I regret a bit is telling everyone about that dream with the furball. I really did believe at the time that it was a prophetic dream based on what has happened before but now I think that it might have just been a regular bad dream.**

**You: Why are you changing your thoughts now?**

**ZEN: Looking at the current situation, I doubt the furball would end up in the mountains...And she’s under layers of security. It wouldn't make any sense at all.**

**You: I guess if we thinking logically but when are people ever logical during this time at night?**

**Jaehee Kang: Zen, speaking of dreams, it’s getting late. Shouldn’t you go to bed?**

**ZEN: I was just about to. I will go to sleep...Will you go to bed, Jaehee?**

**Jaehee Kang: No. I must review some documents and I’m waiting for a phone call.**

**You: I’m going to bed soon, too.**

**ZEN: Goodnight, ladies. Jaehee, I hope you can get some sleep. I’ll let you know if there’s any new information about Glam.**

**Jaehee Kang: Thank you. Have a good night!**

**ZEN: ^^ And you sleep well, cutie!**

 

The two of them had logged out, leaving you again to your thoughts and a half empty pint of ice cream, which you decided to put away for future consumption. Zen and Jaehee had worked in a plan that could save Jumin from being trapped in a marriage he didn’t want. and suddenly you were looking forward as to what was to come.

And maybe, just maybe, if it all was a success, then maybe there was an actual shot in possibly being with Jumin.

You went back to bed where you quickly fell asleep while you thought of dancing hand-in-hand with Jumin Han in a ballroom wearing one of the dresses he had suggested. It was the first dress he had sent you, the teal one. It was a ridiculous dream, but maybe it was like Zen said. Dreams were just dreams. And with that, you dared to add a tiara on top of your head. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohboiohboiohboi.
> 
> If you thought Day 7 was crazy then wait till you see what's in store for Day 8.


	33. Chapter 32 Day 8, 6:50 AM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which something gets...misplaced???

“I can see it, I can see what you need,” Rika said, her voice determined and excitable.

“What do I need?” Jumin asked. It was an uncommon occasion whenever he and Rika were out together without V. Being alone with Rika always gave him a unique feeling when it was just the two of them. With Rika, he felt a different  _ vibe  _ (as the Urban Dictionary would say) within himself than he did whenever he was alone with V. He was wearing an outfit unlike the ones he was used to — a black and white striped shirt, black jeans, and a gray shawl — as they sat on top of a hill, relaxing. His hands were stretched behind him, touching the soft, warm grass as he arched his back forward, enjoying the sun’s rays.

“You need someone who you can express everything to! Someone you don’t have to fear, someone kind and open!” 

Jumin had no interest in whatever girl Rika was trying to offer as a potential date. No other girl would ever be as pure and as wholesome as Rika, or at least the very idea of her. “It’s a no, if you’re trying to set me up with someone.”

Rika giggled. “Don’t worry. I know you have a mental allergy to pretty girls.” She paused. “Wait...Come to think of it, then that means I’m not pretty!” Rika hugged her knees even tighter.

“That’s not true, you’re beautiful,” Jumin said and suddenly felt a low heat in his face as he realized he’d spoken without a thinking, a rare thing for him to do. Yet the way he saw it, he was paying her a sincere compliment. Rika was indeed the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, both inside and out.

Instead, she laughed. “Thank God you at least learned good manners.”

Normally, Jumin would have said something about his upbringing and his manners being impeccable, but it wasn’t like he was with one of his father’s clients. “I mean it.”

“I was thinking...Why don’t V and I give you a pet?”

The answer shocked Jumin, causing his elbow to nearly give out. “A pet?” A girlfriend would have made sense, but a pet?

“I’ll pick a girl that you’ll love.”

“I appreciate the thought...but I don’t need it. And I won’t be able to take good care of it.”

“I know you can. I’m one hundred percent sure she’ll be your special friend!” Rika said, her voice raising a couple octaves, something she did whenever her mind was set to an idea. “You deny this, but you need it. Think about it, okay?” Rika went on when Jumin couldn’t think of a reply. “Yeah...A cat would be perfect, since you act a bit like a cat. It’ll be perfect. Jumin Han and his cat!”

 

Jumin woke up, surprised he was able to dream up a concrete memory of him and Rika from three years ago. He recalled that a couple of weeks after that conversation when he next saw V and Rika, he was introduced to a snow white kitten that was sleeping in Rika’s arms.  The kitten was just weeks old at the time, but Rika had informed Jumin that she was the pick of the litter, having been the first kitten born in her set and ready to lead a spectacular life. The look on her tiny face had been haughty and almost aristocratic, especially for a cat, which made sense why the name Elizabeth the 3rd was perfect for her. 

Jumin realized he needed to stop reminiscing and start his day, but first he wanted to check his phone to see if he had gotten a response about the dresses he had sent to his companion last night before going to bed. This feeling, this  _ eagerness _ to hear from her was almost unsettling. He had thought Rika was beautiful, but she paled in comparison to this girl. 

She had replied, her message both modest and surprising to him.

**Wow, these are all really something. I think I’d need a tiara to match.**

Jumin found himself amused by her response, now understanding her mild sarcasm on the matter.  **Of course. It was an oversight on my part. Will you forgive me for it? I’ll find you a magnificent tiara to match your dress. I can send you Makimoto tiaras to look at later today.** Even though he was joking, a part of him  _ wanted  _ to be serious about having her wear the tiara. After all, she was the coordinator of the party, so she deserved all the attention she could get. 

Jumin got out of bed when she didn’t reply immediately. She was probably still asleep, anyway. As he began the walk to his closet, he noticed that something felt off to him. _Is it me, or is the temperature not at twenty-two degrees celsius?_ _That doesn’t make sense._ By Jumin’s calculations, it felt like twenty nine degrees. He walked to his thermostat and checked the temperature inside.

Nothing was on the display. 

Jumin got out of his bedroom, only to find Sarah and a couple of men standing around. “What in the world is going on? Who are these people?”

Sarah waved him off. “Forgive my husband,” she said, turning to him. “The power’s been out.”

“It’s an unusual case,” one of the men said, who Jumin now was able to properly observe as an electrician by his uniform. “The weather is fine, and so is the rest of the block. Only this particular building has been affected by the outage.”

“That is quite odd,” Jumin said. 

“But we have been working on it. We estimate the power should return within the hour, so sit tight.” 

Jumin would do no such thing, especially with Sarah around. He instead headed to Elizabeth’s room, where she would surely be hungry and in need of breakfast. Perhaps being in that enclosed space would cause her to gain weight. Jumin would have to buy her a special dietary supplement to go with her food.

What struck Jumin as strange was that Elizabeth’s door was slightly ajar. He pushed the door open further, half expecting Elizabeth to rub herself against his legs, but that did not happen. Jumin’s eyes scoured the room. She wasn’t sleeping in her bed, nor was she anywhere in her cat tree. For a second, Jumin’s thoughts wavered towards Zen’s foreboding dream. But most of the things that came out of Zen’s mouth were pure nonsense.

And yet, the alarm bells were beginning to go off in his head. Jumin’s thoughts began to race, but he had to remain logical. Only he could enter through a passcode that no one else knew, but perhaps the events of yesterday had distracted him to the point where he had forgotten to check if the door was sealed properly. 

But that didn't make sense. Everything he did was perfect.

“Elizabeth?” Jumin asked, half expecting his cat to show herself coming out of some crevice. She did like to hide, but never from him. He left the room, searching for Elizabeth. But she wasn’t in the living area, nor was she in the kitchen or his bedroom or closet. Sarah didn’t seem to notice or care as the electricians worked in the living area. 

“Excuse me, but have you seen a cat around here?”

“No, sir,” the one who spoke to Jumin earlier said. He must have been the supervisor or manager. 

Sarah laughed. 

“This is no laughing matter.”

Sarah’s smile disappeared. 

“Oh, Jumin, you know cats better than anyone else. She must be hiding in some corner.”

But something was  _ wrong _ . Nothing added up. It wouldn’t make sense for Elizabeth to just  _ leave _ . Would it? Jumin knew that she didn’t like being in an enclosed space, but it wasn't like he had locked her up inside a diamond cage. 

Jumin walked outside to where his bodyguards were. They were more trustworthy than Sarah, and perhaps their efficiency would lead them to perfect results. But Zen's warning wouldn't stop echoing in his mind.

“Mr. Han,” one of the bodyguards said, addressing his presence.

“When did the power go out?”

“It went out in between shifts,” one of them said. The others nodded in agreement. 

“So did you see anything enter or leave the apartment?”

They all shook their heads, but Jumin could see the hesitance. There was a sliver of doubt displayed on their faces. 

“What about a cat?”

They all exchanged glances. “No, sir.”

The air conditioning system began to buzz and within a few seconds, the cold air hit Jumin’s face as the power came back on. “I need this building searched. Find my cat.”

The guards gave him a nod and half of them left the area while Jumin returned to the inside of the penthouse.

“Now that you have finished your job, please leave. Your services are no longer required.”

When the last of them left, Jumin turned to his wife. “You did this,” Jumin said to Sarah, he found himself glaring at her. “You never fail in complicating my life.”

“Huh?” she said, confused. “Is this about your stupid cat?”

Jumin wasn’t sure anymore, but she was a huge factor in his misery and now that he had gotten a taste of pure happiness and exhilaration, he wanted Sarah out of his life. He didn’t want to be reminded of the imminent trip to Qatar his father had been planning for the four of them. “Get out of my sight.”

“You’re being ridiculous,” Sarah said. “And pitiful, I should add. It’s just a cat.”

“I don’t want to see you until my father’s wedding, Sarah,” he said, her name feeling bitter on his tongue. 

Sarah lingered. How his father could have matched him with such a petulant woman was beyond anything. “Whatever. Clearly, you have issues. Do you think I  _ want _ to go on that trip with Mr. Han and Glam?” 

Jumin was about to bite back by saying that she had done nothing to prevent this, but she stormed out of the penthouse, taking the final word with her.

Jumin took his phone out of his pocket and found Assistant Kang’s number.  **Assistant Kang, I will not arrive to work today for the time being. There’s been an emergency.**

* * *

Jaehee had no idea when the chocolatiers would call her back. Maybe it was just like with V and they would never call her back. But there was a very serious time limit fast approaching, and Jaehee had stressed the importance of hearing from them.

The wedding between Chairman Han and Glam Choi was looming, and if Glam got her way, then the consequences would be way worse than when Sarah married Mr. Han.

Things were admittedly getting easier, as the RFA’s new coordinator was helping Mr. Han’s unnaturally unpredictable temperaments, and now even Zen had agreed to help so perhaps things were looking up. 

It was a new day, and although Jaehee was the type of person who could see at least one hundred ways a day could go wrong, she didn’t want to let any negative thoughts take over because for once there was this feeling of optimism in the air.

Jaehee checked Zen’s fanpage and found that things had grown quiet on the topic of Zen’s stalker. Instead, there were photos of Zen and some of Mr. Han’s bodyguards working out together at the gym, which had been the new topic of conversation. Although  Jaehee found the forum to be quite frivolous, she felt grateful that this topic concerning the stalker had quelled. 

Jaehee studied Zen’s muscles in the photos. He really was getting in better shape these days. Perhaps Zen had realized that photographs were the best way to preserve his beauty for eternity. She began to wonder what it would be like for Zen to be captured through film other than through recordings of his theater shows.

Her eyelids began drooping at the idea of Zen’s beauty being shown through film. It was a welcome distraction from the crushing pressure of solving Mr. Han’s predicaments, an undertaking he had not asked for but she knew was her duty to solve. But Zen’s midnight black eyelashes…The vibrant crimson shade of his eyes...

_ Must keep watch… _

These thoughts began to disappear as Jaehee’s head slumped against her desk.

A noise interrupted her–it was the secretary calling from the company phone. Jaehee checked the time. She had only fallen asleep for twenty minutes, thank goodness.

“Yes?”

“Chief Secretary Kang, I have….” the secretary couldn’t pronounce the names of who was calling, “...It’s European sounding?”

“Yes. I was expecting them, no need to worry about the pronunciation. Transfer them, please.” Jaehee waited a moment as she heard the line being transferred over. “This is Jaehee Kang speaking.”

“Are you the director’s assistant who called earlier?” It was a man speaking. His Korean had a heavy accent, but she was able to understand his words. 

“Yes. I called because I saw articles about my company’s director’s wife having worked with your company on a pastry, was it? I do not want to get my facts wrong,” Jaehee said, realizing that her words were quite a mouthful.

“The dossier on my lap says Sugar Round, no?”

“Yes, that’s the company.” Jaehee had rehearsed this conversation earlier, and even though she disliked lying, she had to give the chocolatier a white lie about C&R potentially acquisitioning Sugar Round. It was a necessary evil, but it was for the greater good. “Our company, C&R, has intentions to buy and sell Sugar Round and I’d like to substantiate if what I read about Sugar Round was true.”

“Absolutely not. While it is true that we did look at Sugar Round as one of the potential companies in our desire to expand east, we did not see it fit for a collaboration. I can send you everything you need to know.” Jaehee couldn’t contain a small smile. This was all too easy. Jaehee gave him her email and fax.

“That would be most helpful, thank you. I shall not take too much of your time now. I hope you have a great rest of your day.” Hopefully, the information would be crucial to the case against Sarah, but the only thing she could do was wait for now.

Jaehee hung up, her phone displaying that she had received a new text message from Mr. Han.

**Assistant Kang, I will not arrive to work for the time being. There’s been an emergency.**

And just like that, Jaehee’s hopes for a good day were utterly ruined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the point of no return. I had a lot of technical difficulties with this chapter (thank you Zentherainbowunicorn for all of your help!) so it took a few more rounds than usual. Let me know your thoughts!!!
> 
> (Also the word count as of this chapter is 107k which ties it with The Prisoner of Azkaban. Rip.)


	34. Chapter 33 Day 8, 9:48 AM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A friend learns key information; our heroine learns of some news, both good and bad, and makes a decision.

 

It was usually a rather difficult situation whenever Zen had to deal with a director or a very important person, especially if they needed a translator, but Christmas Nolan was an exceedingly patient man and his interpreter helped ease the language gap between them. Nolan not knowing Korean also made Zen less self-conscious about the fact that his English was limited to pleasantries. Living in a country where knowing English was seen as a status symbol and that you were well-educated always made Zen feel inferior to others. 

Nolan had actually signed up to direct a film adaptation of  _ Dandelion _ , aka the play that Zen was currently about to star in as one of the male leads. As of now, Nolan would spend time watching rehearsals and taking notes from the production crew for his adaptation. Nolan had a tendency to work with his stars on more than one occasion, which was the subject of this meeting.

“I can see you playing Janus for a Korean remake of Baleman, the Cake Knight Rises,” the translator said.

This prickled Zen’s ears as he tried to contain a sudden onslaught of shyness. Zen had seen the original in theaters a decade ago with his brother. His brother in particular had felt a certain kind of resonance with the tragic hero turned villain, Janus.  It was one of the last good memories he had with him. Zen pushed the memory away in order to focus on this conversation. 

“Oh, but I was told about Robinboy?”

Nolan began to speak and the translator nodded. “Mr. Nolan says that there’s this this aura about you. You certainly have the looks to play Janus pre-facial deformity and…” Mr. Nolan spoke some more, “but there’s a certain likable element to you that would make audiences sympathize with the hardships Janus would go through. I have seen you in other roles besides the one you’re in now and I must say that despite my Korean being limited, I was able to understand the emotions of your characters.”

“I’m very flattered,” Zen said, unsure of what else to say on that. He wasn’t used to playing villains, but Janus wasn’t a simple villain, literally representing the duality of man. Zen had always wanted to tackle a meaty role of that caliber, but a part of him started to question if he was even ready to handle such a character. 

“You would have to audition for the role, first, but I can easily see myself directing your movements and the gestures. I believe you have what it takes to bring such a complex character to life.”

Zen felt his heart pounding at an impossible speed. He was used to directors lavishing him with praise but a lot of it seemed to stem over his looks and not his acting ability. 

“Thank you, Mr. Nolan,” Zen said. Despite Zen’s shyness, he had another matter he wanted to discuss with Nolan and this was the perfect opportunity. “I have a question for you. This is not your first time in Korea, is it?”

The translator spoke as Zen waited for his answer. He already knew what Nolan would say first. “I’ve traveled to Korea before and it is one of my favorite countries to film scenes for. We filmed some scenes for  _ Deception  _ years ago.”

This was the part where Zen had to really stretch things out. “Right. I remember seeing that in theaters when it came out. That’s the one where you had a lot of soap opera stars cameo in it. My favorite was  _ The Courageous and the Charming _ .”

“Ah, yes. A fantastic drama. It did become a pinch melodramatic in later seasons but thematically, it remained complex. Unfortunately, I had to cut some of actors out of a scene for too much clutter.”

“That does sound unfortunate, “ Zen said. But sometimes it’s needed.”

“I’ve noticed that the theater and soap operas execute matters differently. A theater production plays with the scenery and allows a director, a stage, and the actors to pull together what is needed for impact while a soap opera prolongs and lets you feel every scene. A small amount of those cut were not okay with editing of the final product and tried to make the experience unpleasant, but almost everyone else has been friendly and professional.”

“I’ve heard horror stories about how much of a diva soap actors can be,” Zen said. Zen noted how impassioned Nolan looked. Perhaps it was easier to get the information he needed out of him than he thought. “I know of this one actress whose entire image was not because of her ability but because she commanded such a media attention.” 

Judging by the way Nolan looked when the translator told him, he had taken the bait.

“I believe that’s Glam Choi, you’re referring to. I don’t remember much of my time working with her, but she kept bringing her sister to work in hopes of getting her cast. I had informed her that the casting was completed, even for extras. It is quite interesting when you can remember an actress for the off-screen presence she had rather than when she was on camera.”

“I didn’t know she had a sister,” Zen said, trying not to show that he was astounded by the revelation. As he said the words, he felt the pieces falling into place.

“I can’t remember her appearance, but they had the same colored eyes. Her name wasn’t Korean though. I think it was Serena or Sally or something beginning with an S. Every other word that came out of her mouth was her sister’s name.” Nolan paused and said something even Zen could understand. “Oh, now I remember! Sarah was her name.”

Zen resisted the temptation of grabbing his phone and letting Jaehee know.  _ That’s it. Glam and Sarah are sisters. That’s the connection!  _ Zen changed the topic to another actor who was on the same soap as to appear interested in more than just Glam. 

Now that he had figured out the connection, the next step was to find proof, and Zen had an inkling it wouldn’t be that easy.

* * *

You woke up to see the notification light blinking, indicating you had a new text. Surely it was from Jumin. He probably had some kind of cute response in regards to the tiaras.

Before reading his latest text, you reread what you had previously wrote.

**Wow, these are all really something. I think I’d need a tiara to match.**

Jumin’s responses was just as outlandish as you expected.

**Of course. It was an oversight on my part. Will you forgive me for it? I’ll find you a magnificent tiara to match your dress. I will send you Makimoto tiaras to look at later today.**

_ He’s been upping his flirt game,  _ the rebel side said as your heart began to flutter. The text was sent almost two hours ago.

**I might forgive you if you escort me looking just as impeccably dressed. You have to wear a crown, too. ^^**

Was that too risky?

You hit send, not caring anymore about the risks. 

You thought of what Jumin might have been doing right now. Surely, he would be at work and probably busy with his meetings and other duties. You tried to imagine him sitting at his desk with a smirk on his face after reading your text. The thought of it made your heart melt a little so you turned your attentions elsewhere.

You had a slew of emails to reply to and only four days left until the party. Cultured Peoples and Longcat had responded favorably (at least judging by the Longcat’s exclamation points), agreeing to go to the party. You were concerned about the latter considering your ability to do chatspeak came in copied and pasted from LOLCATZ websites, but it would definitely cheer Jumin up even more.

It was insane how he occupied the vast majority of your thoughts. Even when you were doing your best in trying to think about other topics, he would inevitably worm his way into them.

You logged in the messenger, hoping to catch Jumin there. It was sort of odd that he didn’t call you, but then again, you knew he would likely call sometime before noon. He always did, and yet here you were, already accustomed to this pattern where you would talk in the mornings and before going to bed..

But Jumin wasn’t online. Instead it was Zen, who immediately began talking to you. 

 

**ZEN: What a lovely morning~ It’s a good day, isn’t it? I had a meeting with Christmas Nolan just now and it was amazing!**

**You:  I’m glad! There’s certainly an air of hope, especially with the things we talked about with Jaehee last night!**

**ZEN: ^^ Yes! I also have really big news to share with the chat about that.**

**You: OMG. What is it?**

 

You waited for Zen’s response but Jumin had logged in. He would get whatever news Zen would share firsthand.

_ Yaaaayyy!  _ Your heart pounded at Jumin being present again.

 

**You: Jumin! How'd you sleep?**

**Jumin Han: That’s not important right now. Elizabeth the 3rd is missing.**

**You: WHAT?**

 

“The hell?” You felt the whole world crashing down on you.  _ No...not after all of the work everyone had gone through. Not to mention our plans… _

_ Zen was right when he had that vision last night. Shit. _

 

**ZEN: THAT FUR BALL?**

 

It seemed like Zen’s news would have to wait. 

 

**Jumin Han: If you see Elizabeth the 3rd anywhere near you, contact me ASAP.**

**ZEN: ;;; What happened???**

**Jumin Han: It seems as if Elizabeth the 3rd escaped the penthouse. But I can’t really be certain.**

**ZEN: HOW?**

**You: What do you mean, “escaped the penthouse”?**

**Jumin Han: The power was out during the middle of the night. I awoke to Elizabeth’s door being open and I haven’t been able to locate her for the past three hours.**

**You: But you said that her room was accessible only by passcode.**

**Jumin Han: The power outage rendered it useless.**

**ZEN: Wait;;;;; Did she escape on her own?**

 

Zen used an emoji where his chibi form expressed shock.

 

**Jumin Han: It’s possible. She must have felt frustrated or hateful towards me for having trapped her in that room. How can I know? She’s just a cat.**

**You: I don’t think she would have left you. She loves you, Jumin. She knows you’d do anything to ensure her safety.**

**ZEN: Yes;;;; This might sound funny coming from me, but even a cat would see how sincere you are.**

**Jumin Han: I need to go. And to the others, if you see her, please inform me.**

**ZEN: Alright.**

**You: Jumin, stay calm, okay?!**

 

Elizabeth had been missing for three hours already and you were afraid to imagine Jumin panicking or having another mental breakdown again. 

_ No! We had spent  _ hours  _ together! Everything had been going great!  _ The rational side said.

_ He was happy and silly and kind of clumsy and cute and eating French fries and pushing shopping carts. You could practically see the sparkles coming out of him by the end of the night. _

And then you recalled all of your conversations with Jumin that had to do with Elizabeth. She was his emotional crutch, especially with the life he had been forced to lead. This needed to be resolved, fast. But how?

You took a deep breath and continued looking at the chat.

 

**Jumin Han: I’m sorry to have interrupted and ruined a perfectly good morning. Goodbye.**

 

Jumin logged out.

 

**ZEN: What the hell is happening??? God...I can’t believe this.**

**You: I’m shocked, too. Now I’m** **_really_ ** **worried about Jumin.**

**ZEN: Yeah. He must be shocked. He’s lost his precious cat. It’s like a nightmare. WAIT.** **_No way._ **

**You: Holy shit. You don’t think…**

**ZEN: Let’s hope he’s just making a huge fuss. That dude has a bunch of bodyguards and CCTVs in every corner of the building.**

**You: But there was a power outage, remember?**

**ZEN: Oh...right. Poor Jaehee. I think I should hold off on my news for now considering what just happened, but I need to tell Jaehee, at least...if I can contact her. She might know what to do with this information.**

**You: I hope it’ll help. It’s sad how things can just go belly up, but we can’t give up!**

**ZEN: I have to go back soon, actually. Christmas Nolan and I are going to have lunch today and further discuss the role he has in mind for me.**

 

You felt terrible that Zen’s meeting with an acclaimed director was overshadowed by Elizabeth’s disappearance. You wanted to praise him for this, but at the same time, it felt tasteless to suddenly change the mood of the chat. You decided to quickly touch upon Zen’s accomplishment. Zen was an incredibly hard worker and for it to pay off like this was something that needed to be said.

 

**You: Wow. You’re meeting with *the* Christmas Nolan. I love his movies, especially** **_Deception_ ** **and** **_Memoriam_ ** **! I know the former had some scenes shot here in Korea… *Sigh* Despite everything terrible that’s happened, I am happy for you, Zen, and that does deserve acknowledgement.**

**ZEN: Speaking of Nolan, I was going to ask you if it’s okay to invite him to the party. He’s going to be here for the next week so it would be a great opportunity.**

**You: I would be honored to meet him. Give him my info, please!**

**ZEN: I’d like to talk more, but I have to go. I hope Jumin finds his cat soon….**

**You: Me too...Good luck, Zen!**

**ZEN: Tell me if he finds it. Bye!**

 

“Oh my god,” you said after you logged out of the chat. There was no way Elizabeth would have just up and leave Jumin’s penthouse. She loved him and he was worthy of her love. 

He was worthy of all the love in the world. Yesterday was a testament to that. 

_ Wait, did you just admit you’re in love with Jumin Han?  _ the rational side asked,  _ Or at least admit you’re really, really,  _ really  _ into him? _

_ Maybe. I would do anything for Jumin Han. _

You felt a sudden calm at the notion and reached for his jacket, which still retained his clean scent, and hugged it. There was no way Elizabeth escaped.  _ Elizabeth loves him, too.  _ But you didn’t want to think of the alternative. _ We need to pray for the best.  _

And yet your mind was racing at the other possibilities.

This was such a weird situation. The electricity went out and during that time, she somehow vanished…

If you had the chance to talk to Jumin, there were a lot of questions you needed to ask him because Elizabeth’s disappearance just sounded convenient. 

You didn’t know who else to call but Seven. He was the one person who could handle an SOS situation that Jumin couldn’t. You remembered how V said four days ago that Seven and Jumin were the two that could be depended on the most and if Jumin was incapable, then Seven could help.

Your phone buzzed, and you saw Jumin’s name flash on the screen. “Jumin…” you said, your voice surprisingly breathless. You tried to not think about the fact that you had just acknowledged that your feelings for him were likely much deeper than an infatuation. 

“It’s me. I hope everything’s okay with you,” he said. His tone was even, but you could hear the cracks in it. It amazed you how much you had grown to know him during this past week.

“I’m fine. I’m more worried about  _ you _ . I know things have been crazy but I can’t believe it’s gotten worse.”

“I didn’t want to wake you up with the news of Elizabeth’s disappearance, but I had to call you after seeing you in the chat. I can’t do this alone. I need you.”

“What?” Was he inviting you out...or did he want you to stay on the phone again?

“I apologize for being so selfish, but I need to see you again, and soon.”

“Oh?” You felt your heart beating rapidly.

“I can’t go through this alone,” he said, his voice distant, as though he were thinking out loud. 

“I know, Jumin. I’m always here for you.”

“Will you allow my driver to pick you up at the location where I dropped you off last time? I’ll be waiting for you in my limo.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll let you know when I’m on my way, Please get ready.”

“Okay. See you then, Jumin.”


	35. Chapter 34: Day 8, 10:34 AM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our heroine wonders if she's doing her job right or making things worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I gotta do some real talk for a moment. I've been super busy in 2018. And I'm gonna continue being super busy because my April is packed to the brim. See, I've been saying that I've got everything written out through Day 9 but the truth is that chapters 35-37 aren't up to my standards of perfection. And it is *critical* that these chapters are perfect because those are three chapters that alter the course of the story and I can't afford to screw them up because they point and lead to the climax and endgame.
> 
> It took me a while to get this chapter out because it exposes a lot of my writing weaknesses and it's all thanks to my beta who was able to zone in and zero in on them. With that, I hope y'all enjoy this one!

You couldn’t believe what you just agreed to. You were going to see Jumin again for the second time in twenty four hours. A sense of determination was coursing through your veins. It was now your life’s mission to help Jumin find Elizabeth. And if you weren’t able to do that, then you were a least committed to the idea of being his emotional beacon. He needed you now more than ever.

You looked through your contacts and found Seven’s number, your finger hovering over the call icon. You felt a stab of hesitation but pressed the dial button anyway. He picked up on the second ring. 

“Seven Zero Seven at your service!” 

“Seven!”

“Someone’s excited to hear from me! Are you sure you’ve called the right person?”

“Y-Yes. Seven, we have a terrible problem on our hands right now. Elizabeth the Third is missing!”

You heard  the rattling of a can falling to the ground.

“Seven has some wax in his ears. Did you say Elizabeth is kissing?” His words betrayed his tone. He didn’t want to believe what you had just said.

“ _ Missing _ . Jumin logged into the chat just now to tell us. He said Elizabeth disappeared during some kind of electrical outage.”

“How very suspicious!”

“I mean, Jumin says it’s also possible she escaped.” You sighed. “Yet I really doubt it.”

You heard the noise of a mouse wheel scrolling; perhaps Seven was going through the messenger log. 

You decided to get straight to the reason you called him. “I’m about to leave the apartment and help Jumin find his cat, or at least help him in whatever way I can.”

“Is Miss Coordinator absolutely certain about leaving the apartment?”

“I won’t be alone.” You knew Jumin had bodyguards, but now that you thought about it, you didn’t see them last night. Either they were watching from a distance or he  _ really _ flew off the radar. You had a feeling it was the latter. 

Seven hesitated, which you felt like was a first, then he gave a small, wistful chuckle. “Jumin did wish on a lucky star. How did he get such a good girl on his side?”

“I...uh…” His words made you feel slightly embarrassed. “I just...think it’s what anyone would do.” You began to gather your things while Seven chuckled on the other end of the line. 

The conversation was finally beginning to lull, so it was time to get to the reason you called him in the first place. “Seven, Do you think you can look at CCTV logs or somehow spread the word about  Elizabeth the Third being missing? I know you’re incredibly busy but…” 

“I’ll do anything for Elly!”

“Thank you! I know you and Yoosung probably had a lot planned, plus you’re busy with the job and the hacker and all that stuff, but this would mean the world to him! And maybe I could get you an audience with Elizabeth.”  _ It’ll take a lot of convincing, though. _

“Wa-hoo! Seven to the rescue! And Seven can have little Yoosung post missing posters of Elly on the utility poles!”

“Thank you so much!”

“Just remember to stay with Jumin at all times and don’t take candy from strangers.”

“I won’t.” You raised your phone to check the battery and time. Nine minutes had passed and the battery was already at seventy percent. Also, Jumin’s text was imminent and you needed to leave the apartment.

“I gotta go,” you said. 

“Oh, okie! Activating ‘Find Elly Mode’ in five...four...three....”

“Thank you again, Seven. Bye.”

You placed your phone deep within your purse and  left the apartment. It was a rare occasion when you weren’t completely focused on your phone. You hastened your stride, feeling a sense of urgency to get to Jumin. The street light turned red...again.

_ Ugh, why does this keep happening whenever I  _ really  _ need to be somewhere? _

You fiddled with your hands and sighed as you waited for the crosswalk to clear. You needed to get to Jumin as soon as possible. There was no way you’d feel any kind of relief until you saw him again.

When you were two blocks away from the designated location, you pulled your phone from your purse and saw that Jumin had sent you a text confirming that he had arrived, causing you to quicken your pace. 

You arrived a few minutes later. Seconds later, Driver Kim got out of the limo to greet you. There was a pensive look in his eyes and a stiffness in his posture you hadn’t seen last night.

“It’s a pleasure seeing you again, Miss,” he said, “albeit under less-than-desirable circumstances.” You nodded. and he continued, “Last night was not a good night for Mr. Han, but I’m afraid the current circumstances are a lot worse for him right now. I hope you can help elevate Mr. Han’s mood.” His eyes showed an undercurrent of hope as you gave him an unsteady smile. Driver Kim very clearly cared for Jumin. You remembered that Jumin had mentioned him in a rather positive light during previous chats. He was friendly, yet polite. You decided you liked him.

“How is he?”

“Mr. Han looks the same as he always does, but you appear to know him better than his own wife…” He eyed the limo’s door. “I should not keep you out here much longer. Mr. Han has been adamant about seeing you.” He opened the passenger door, gesturing for you to enter.

“Thank you,” you said, before getting in.

Jumin was less elaborately dressed...at least compared to yesterday, wearing a suit and a black tie like he often did in the chatroom photos. His life may have been falling apart all around him, but you had to admire how impeccable he still looked.

You held your breath as you sat directly across from him. You were suddenly saddled with this yearning that had spring up seemingly out of nowhere, this desire to be beside him, embracing him. You dismissed the idea, but it seemed to linger within the back of your mind. 

Neither of you said anything for a good few seconds. You decided you were going to break the silence.

“Jumin...I don’t know what to say....I’m so sorry…”  You leaned forward and reached for his hand. You couldn’t help it this time.

The limo began to move.

“I’m glad you’re here,” he said, allowing you to take his hand. His skin  was freezing cold, but when you saw a bottle of wine near him, you understood why. 

_ He shouldn’t be drinking. It isn’t even noon yet,  _ the rational side said.  _ You need to make sure he doesn’t touch any more alcoholic beverages.  _

“We’re going to do everything we can to  find her, Jumin, I promise.” It was important to be proactive and start helping from the get-go. “Do you have any ideas on  how we’re going to bring Elizabeth back home?”

“Driver Kim is taking us to a TV station. I’ve purchased a spot for an ad that will play once an hour. I have a copy of the ad right here.” He pulled a USB out of his pocket and you nodded,half surprised that he had managed to procure a video mere hours after Elizabeth’s disappearance.  _ Uh, aren’t you forgetting  _ why _ Jumin was able to get a missing ad out so quickly?  _ The rational side said.

_ Right. He’s got the money. _ It was an odd thing that you kept forgetting he was the wealthiest person you had ever met. Most people associated him with money, but you were so used to him that it was far from the first thing you thought of. He wasn’t just a trust fund kid; he was someone you thought was amazing and funny and…

_ You need to say something and not think about how you’re completely infatuated with him. Now’s not the time nor place _ , the rationalist said again. 

“Good. We’ll find her faster if people know what she looks like,” you said.

“And that’s not all. I have purchased some ad space for various news stations and websites. And naturally, C&R’s website will give further details. I am also considering starting a new department dedicated to finding Elizabeth and handling any information pertaining to her. This would be headed by Assistant Kang, of course. ”

You squeezed Jumin’s hand tighter. “It sounds like you have a plan.”  _ Poor Jaehee, though.  _

“Do I?” he asked, looking doubtful. 

“Yeah, you do.”

“I don’t feel like I do.” 

You could see why Jumin was being doubtful; he was completely falling apart. Sure, he didn’t look like it, but you could see it in the smallest ways, especially with how vacant his stare was. It was just like yesterday all over again.

Jumin surprised you by squeezing your  hand. His fingers were getting warmer from your touch. The sensation gave you goosebumps.

_ Someone needs to hold this boy tight and tell him everything’s going to be okay. _

_ Stop wanting more,  _ the rational side said.  _ It’s enough you’re holding his hand. _

You went back to the topic of Elizabeth. “Can you tell me more about what happened?”

Jumin nodded. “The power was out. Sarah was in the living room with several electricians attempting to solve the outage, but none of them had seen Elizabeth at any point in time.” His eyebrows creased. You could see small worry lines on his forehead as he shook his head. You felt his hand go clammy against yours. 

“This is really ambiguous,” you said. Sarah seemed like she was intelligent enough to manipulate a situation, but you still felt her disposing Elizabeth was beyond her capability. Another possibility was that perhaps Elizabeth was kidnapped. Or maybe she left on her own accord, having been sick of being trapped in such a small space. But the possibility of Elizabeth leaving on her own posed even more questions, namely about room Jumin had her stored in. If there door was sealed shut and by passcode, then it would be nearly impossible for her to escape. Even if the power went out, it wasn’t as if the door would open by itself, right?

“We need to find her, and the sooner the better. Time is precious and …” Jumin said, his voice trailing  off. Of course Jumin would want to find her before the party and his father’s wedding. He would be too busy otherwise. But then again, he was blowing off work. 

“I know, and you need to work,” you said. You imagined poor Jaehee stressing out over at the C&R building.

Jumin let go of your hand; his remained in midair for a few seconds as though Jumin was stuck in contemplation before he withdrew it entirely. “But more than that...I can’t help but think: Did Elizabeth run away on her own accord? I can’t accept the fact that she would try to run away from me. If she did, then all of the love I’ve given her for years has gone to waste.” You sat back, watching Jumin struggle with his words. “How do I express how I’m feeling right now? I feel as if I’ve been betrayed...this bitter sadness  eats away a part of my heart.”

“Jumin, we don’t know that for sure.” For someone who had been so intent on certainties, he was hyper-focusing on such a negative outcome. This was extremely unlike him.

He shifted in his seat. “Why am I being like this? It’s very much unlike me.” he said, reading your mind. He clenched his right lapel, something you noticed he did quite often.

“It’s eating at you, all these possibilities. Like..” you paused to think carefully, “We don’t know what actually happened and it’s so easy to think of the worst possible scenarios. And we don’t know because Elizabeth can’t speak or call us.” 

“Exactly.”

_ No, what are you doing?  _ The rational side screamed as you moved away from your spot and sat beside Jumin, taking his right hand. You leaned in his direction ever so slightly, your arm touching his. He didn’t flinch or move away, accepting your small gesture of affection and reassurance.

“I will be here until you feel better or find Elizabeth, Jumin. You can trust me and we’ll work together to find her.”

Jumin leaned towards you, making himself comfortable besides you. You felt your heart beat faster than ever before. “Thank you. It hasn’t been long since we’ve met, but I don’t want to burden you.”

“No! Of course not! You’re not a burden!”

His thumb rubbed in circles against the length of your outer thumb, his motions making your breathing go shallow. “Damn. It’s getting harder to control my emotions.” Jumin abruptly moved away from you, letting go of your hand. You felt your skin grow cold without his warmth, followed by a sudden ache deep within your chest.  _ This is ridiculous. I held his hand for like five minutes and I’m all touch starved when he lets go. _

_ This is a terrible idea. _

You couldn’t tell which was the rational or rebel side of your thoughts. 

“Sorry,” you said.

“Why are you apologizing? I’m sorry that I can’t be peaceful. I hate myself like this. It’s the first time I feel as though I’ve truly hit rock bottom.” Jumin paused, looking at the nearby wine bottle. “I’ve also had some wine. Perhaps too much wine.” His words made you feel relieved knowing he wasn't spurning you, but also concerned because he was obviously not in his right state of mind.

“I noticed.” He gave you a remorseful glance. “It’s not a good idea to drink too much at a time like this, Jumin. Or at this hour. Promise me you won’t drink anymore until we find Elizabeth.”

Jumin took a deep breath. “I promise.”

_ And you need to promise something yourself, too, _ you heard the rational side say.  _ You’ve been getting way too close to Jumin. Is it me or did it seem like he just straight up tried to deny his feelings? You hovering near him, taking his hand, acting like this is not good for him. You’re here to comfort him, not...this! _

The other side was completely silent. You glanced at Jumin, who seemed  just as introspective as you were. He blinked slowly, staring at a fixed point across the limo.

_ This hurts _ , the other side of your mind said, _ This feeling, this need. I can’t even sit across from him without wanting to touch him.  _

This was such a major problem and you knew you were making this worse, not better.

The limo came to  a complete stop and Jumin pressed a button that made the window that led to the driver’s seat roll down.“We are at the station, Mr. Han.”

“Yes, Driver Kim. Wait here. We won’t be out for long. There’s not much time to act.” There was something adamant...no, that wasn’t it… something  _ desperate _ in his tone, but you knew it was because of his busy life. 

The uncertainty and oddness of this situation was biting at you. Maybe placing ads for Elizabeth would be for naught, but the important thing was to try.

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my very first time writing in second person POV for an extended amount of time. I've only done it for flash-fiction and for poetry so it's experimental. If you feel the need to comment or critique it, please do.


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